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OR, 



The Life of Jesus Christ 



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From His Incarnation to His Ascension. 



BT 



ZACHARY EDDY, D. D. 



„ With an Introduction, 

) BY 

EICHAED S;' SHORES, Jr., D. D. 



/°- SPEINGFIELD, MASS.: 
W. J. HOLLAND & CO. 

1868. 










:Vv. 



*^HHH 



Sakhrnb, or Dome of the Rock, and Platform. Old Tower at Jaffa Gate. Church of the Holy Sepulchre. 

JERUSALEM, FROM THE GOLDEN GATE, SHOWING THE TEMPLE AREA IN THE FOREGROUND, WITH THE J OSQUES AND MINARETS IN THE HOLY PLACE 






?thsemane. Eo&MVoll and Golden Gale. Mount Moriah, Vallej ol fciaron, and I. I to Analbotb. Korlh Wall olid Betetlia. Bills eonlh of riain of Keplialm. Upper Valley eud Fiolds of the Kldron. 

BEAUTIFUL FOR SITUATION, THE JOY OF THE WHOLE EARTH, IS MOUNT ZION, ON THE SIDES OF THE NORTH, THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING." 



n i 'if a i 



mil 



OK, 



The Life of Jesus Christ 



VWWp 



From His Incarnation to His Ascension. 



BY 



ZACHARY EDDY, D. D. 



, Willi an Jntroductixin t 

; by 
RICHARD S. SXORRS, Jk., D. D, 



/° - SPRINGFIELD, MASS.: 
W. J. HOLLAND & CO, 

1868. 






Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by 
W. J. HOLLAND & COMPANY, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the District of Massachusetts 



SAMUEL BOWLES AND COMPANY, 
ELECTROTYPERS, PRINTERS AND BINDERS, 



SPRINGFIELD, MASS. 



Preface 



This book, the fruit of many years of patient and faithful 
study, is intended for the people, but not for the ignorant and 
thoughtless. It assumes that the majority of readers in this age 
are neither thoughtless nor ignorant. It is written in the spirit 
of the lamented Hugh Miller, who declared that it had been his 
aim to write up to the people, and not down to them. 

I have not, therefore, deemed it necessary to ignore those great 
questions touching the person and work of Christ, which now en- 
gage the attention, not only of theologians but of philosophers and 
scholars. The age-long controversy concerning supernaturalism 
has, in our time, extended far beyond the closets of solitary think- 
ers, far beyond the cloisters and lecture-rooms of the universities, 
and enlists, not only the startled curiosity, but the anxious concern 
of millions. The day seems close at hand, when the final decision 
of mankind on the gospel of Christ, will be pronounced. I have 
not hesitated to grapple with this mighty problem, and to offer 
what seems to me the only rational solution. I have therefore 
devoted the first part of the book to the discussion of miracles and 
other topics connected with the credibility of the gospels. I ven- 
ture to hope that my readers will find this discussion neither un- 
intelligible nor uninteresting. 

The predominant design of the book, however, is not to meet 
the arguments and cavils of rationalistic assailants of Christianity, 
but rather to set forth in as clear and graphic a style as possible, 
the great events of our Lord's earthly history, and the scope and 
substance of His wondrous sayings and discourses. It is an 
essential part of my plan to avoid all chronological, topographical, 



11 PKEFACE. 

and harmonistic discussions. I content myself with following, on 
all doubtful questions, the most approved authorities, though the 
reader will find me sometimes forsaking them all, for what appears 
to me a " more excellent way." 

In the preparation of this work, while many books have been 
diligently consulted I have been largely indebted to a few, the 
most important of which are, Robinson's " Researches" Stanley's 
"Sinai and Palestine" Smith's "Dictionary of the Bible" JSTean- 
der's "Life of Jesus Christ" Lange's "Life of the Lord Jesus 
Christ" Ellicott's "Historical Lectures on the Life of our Lord Jesus 
Christ" Andrews' "Life of our Lord upon the Earth" and De 
Ligny's (Roman Catholic) " History of the Life of our Lord Jesus 
Christ" My obligations to Alford, Stier, Olshausen, Tholuck, 
Trench, Yan Oosterzee, and other commentators on the gospels, 
are too numerous to be specified. 

I must here record my thanks to my friend, Prof. Frederick S. 
Jewell, Ph. D., for his invaluable assistance in preparing this book 
for the press. Burdened as I have been with professional cares, 
it is possible that, but for his efficient cooperation, the publication 
would have been delayed for many months — perhaps, even for 
years. He is entitled to my lasting gratitude, and, in proportion 
to the enhanced value of the book, to that of my readers. 

I am deeply indebted to the Rev. Dr. Storrs, whose genius 
sheds splendor and beauty on whatever it touches, for the In- 
troduction which is prefixed to this book. Whatever judgment 
may be pronounced on the main edifice, none who enter will fail to 
be enchanted with the magnificence and grandeur of the portico. 

It remains to offer the fruit of my toil, which has been its own 
exceeding great reward, to my adorable Lord and Master, who 
has upheld and strengthened me in this humble attempt to spread 
abroad among men, the fragrance and glory of His precious name. 
To Him, Imhanuel, the Word made flesh, be glory in the 
Church forever. Amen. 
Brooklyn, March 12, 1358. 



Contents 



Preface, 



PAGE. 

1 I Introduction, 



PAGE. 

5 



PART I. 

INTRODUCTORY, 



Eationalistic Lives of Christ, . . 

Inviolability of the Laws of Na- 
ture as related to Miracles, . 

The General Probability of Mira- 
cles, 



28 



30 



39 



The Delay in the Coming of our 
Lord, 

Posture of the Heathen Nations as 
preparatory to Christ's Coming, 

Preparation for Christ's Coming, 



4o 

53 

60 



PART II. 

THE BIRTH AND EARLY LIFE OF JESUS. 



1. 



The Virgin Mother, 69 

2. Birth and Recognition of Jesus, . 74 

3. Jesus, the Word Incarnate, . . 82 

4. The mission of the " Wise Men 

from the East," 85 



The Infancy and Early Training 

of Jesus, 95 

The Youth of Jesus, 101 

Lessons from the Youth of Jesus, 106 



1. The Eorerunner, . . 

2. The Baptism of Jesus, 



PART III. 

PREPARATION. 

. 113 I 3. The Temptation : Preliminary, . 127 
. 121 I 4. The Temptation, 134 



PART IY. 

THE EARLY MINISTRY OF JESUS. 



Jesus at Bethabara, ..... 147 
The Marriage at Cana of Galilee, 158 
Eirst Journey of Jesus to Jerusa- 
lem and the Temple, .... 166 
Jesus purifies the Temple, . . . 172 
Jesus and Nicodemus, .... 179 



6. John and his Disciples on our 

Lord's Baptizing, .... 

7. Jesus and the Women of Samaria, 

8. Jesus heals the Nobleman's Son, 

9. Jesus heals the Impotent Man, . 



189 
194 

208 
213 



PART V. 

INTRODUCTORY MINISTRY* OF JESUS IN GALILEE. 



1. Jesus rejected at Nazareth, . . 227 

2. Jesus on the way to Caper- 

naum, 237 

3. Jesus at Capernaum, .... 243 

4. Jesus healing the Leper, . . . 251 

5. Jesus heals the Paralytic at Ca- 

pernaum, 257 



Jesus rebukes the Formalism of 

the Pharisees, 265 

Jesus chooses Twelve Apostles, 
The Teachings of Jesus, . . 
The Sermon on the Mount, . 
Same subject — concluded, 



11. The Sermon on the Plain, 



276 

297 

304 
312 



IV 



CONTENTS. 



PAKT VI. 

OUR LORD'S LARGER GALILEAN MINISTRY. 
PAGE. 



1. Jesus heals the Centurion's Ser- 

vant, 319 

2. Raising of Widow's Son at Nain, 324 

3. Message of John the Baptist to 

Jesus, 328 

4. Jesus Discourses upon John the 

Baptist, 334 

5. Jesus forgives the Woman at Si- 

mon's Feast, 340 

6. Jesus heals a Blind and Dumb 

Demoniac, 350 

PART 

THE LATER GALILEAN 

1. Jesus Feeds the Multitude and 

Walks upon the Sea, . . . 

2. Our Lord's Discourse in Caper 

naum, 

3. The Syro-Phenician Woman, 

4. Journey through Zidon and De 

capolis to the Sea of Galilee, 

5. The Transfiguration, . . . 

6. Jesus heals the Lunatic Child, 



411 

421 
430 

440 
449 
461 



7. Mother and Brethren of Jesus, . 360 

8. The Great Teacher, .... 366 

9. Jesus stills the Tempest and 

heals the Demoniac, .... 374 

10. Jesus at Matthew's Feast, . . 382 

11. Jesus raises the Daughter of 

Jairus, 387 

12. The Theory of our Lord's Mi- 

raculous Healing, .... 395 

13. Another Missionary Circuit in 

Galilee, 399 

VII. 

MINISTRY OF JESUS. 

7. The Secret Journey of Christ 

through Galilee, 469 

8. Jesus at the Feast of Taberna- 

cles, 477 

9. Same subject — continued, . . 489 

10. The Woman accused by the 

Pharisees, 497 

11. Jesus heals the Blind Man on 

the Sabbath, 501 



THE PERIOD OF 



PART VIII. 

CUR LORD'S MINISTRY 



1. Final Departure of Jesus from 

Galilee, 513 

2. Progress of the Perean Ministry, 521 

3. Further Progress of the Perean 

Ministry, ........ 530 

4. The Feast of Dedication, . . .536 

5. Jesus Dines with the Pharisees, . 543 

PART 

PASSION 

1. Mary Anoints Jesus at the house 

of Simon, 601 

2. The Triumphal Entry of Christ 

into Jerusalem, 608 

3. Christ and the Pharisees, . . .617 

4. Christ and His Enemies in the 

Temple, 625 

5. Same subject — continued, . . . 633 

6. The Prophetic Discourse, . . . 643 



548 
556 



6. The Heart of God, . . . 

7. The Raising of Lazarus, . 
The Last Journey : 

8. The Ten Lepers, . . .570 

9. Pharisee and Publican, . 574 

10. The Ambitious Disciples, 586 

11. Conversion of Zaccheus, . 593 

IX. 

WEEK. 

7. The Conspirators and the Traitor, 653 

8. The Passover, . . . . . .658 

9. Lord's Supper: Valedictory Dis- 

course, 670 

10. Gethsemane, 680 

11. Jesus Betrayed : Peter's Denial, 689 

12. The Trial of Jesus, . . .697 

13. Jesus before Pilate and Herod, . 705 

14. The Crucifixion and Burial, . . 716 



PART X. 

OUR RISEN LORD. 

1. The Resurrection of Christ, . . 729 I 3. The Ascension, 

2. The Risen Saviour in Galilee, . 745 | 



750 



Introduction. 



Amid whatever changes of arts, letters, institutions, empires, one figure 
continues supreme in history. It is that of the man whom John baptized, 
whom Pilate crucified ; who built do capital, led no army, wrote no volume ; 
who seemed to the principal persons of his time to have fitly closed a restless 
yet an obscure life in an ignoble death ; but who named himself, and who 
now is named in all the written languages of mankind, the Son of Glod. 

The brilliant names of orators, soldiers, skilful inventors, sagacious states- 
men, gradually fade in the vividness of their lustre as other generations 
follow that to which their genius was first exhibited. But the name of Je- 
sus continues to command, and ever more widely, the love, the reverence, 
the obedience of mankind. Careers so splendid in comparison of his, and 
so rich in energetic and governing forces, that to rank his beside them 
would have looked to the cultivated men of his time like a balancing of 
Nazareth against the Rome of Augustus, have been lost from sight, and 
even from recollection, as the race has moved from them, across the expanse 
of peaceful or of stormy years. But his career remains always in sight; 
like the star which shines in its serene heights when the lighthouse-lamp, 
which near at hand glittered more brightly, has sunk beneath the lifting 
horizon. More than sixty generations of men, — vexed with thought, bur- 
dened with cares, and each accomplishing, wearily or victoriously, its office 
in the world, — have lived, and wrought, and passed away, since the young 
child Jesus lay on his Mother's breast at Bethlehem. Yet they are to-day 
more numerous in the world, and more influential than ever before, who turn 
with profoundly attentive minds, because with profoundly adoring hearts, to 
consider what he was, and to ponder the things which he said and which 
he did. 



VI INTRODUCTION. 

The fact is susceptible of no explanation, which does not discredit human 
nature itself, unless we clearly accept this man, — so humble in his circum- 
stances, but in his influence so peerless and universal — as what this volume 
assumes him to have been : Immanuel, or God with us. ' The standing 
miracle,' as Coleridge describes it, ' of a Christendom commensurate, and 
almost synonymous, with the civilized world,'* not only compensates, as he 
affirms, for the necessary evanescence of some evidence for the Gospel en- 
joyed by the primitive Christians. It supplies a demonstration of the 
Divinity revealed through Humanity in the person of the Lord, than which 
the wonders of wisdom and power related of him by those who saw them 
were not more signal or convincing. 

If this be admitted, and if what the Church has declared from the begin- 
ning concerning its Lord be received as true, — that he was not merely a 
Jewish mechanic, of a rare and reviving religious genius, but was the only- 
begotten Son of God, whom illustrious promises had foretold, and whose 
coming to the world opened heaven to its hope, and made history sublime, 
— then the biographies which present him to mankind become, in comparison 
of all other documents, of a paramount interest, and a value transcendent ; 
and then the facts related of him in these biographies, however they surpass 
what men elsewhere have experienced or observed, show a fitness to him, 
as well as an intimate harmony with each other, which thoughtful readers 
must confess. In the utmost height of their mystery and sublimity, they are 
only, after all, on a level with the nature then attributed to him. 

His voluntary entrance into the world, from spheres of being outside of and 
above it ; his self-elected participation in the situation, the experiences, and 
the nature of man ; his residence on the earth, in its humblest poverty, and 
amid the collisions of its keen strifes, prolonged through the lifetime of a 
whole generation ; the instructions, in which celestial thoughts drop in music 
from tender lips; the miracles, in which omnipotence is declared with as little 
of effort as when love suffuses the brightened face ; his institution of the 
Church, as a world-embracing organism, taking into itself those of all races, 
tongues, and times, and uniting them to each other and to himself by their 
common experience of his renovating life ; his free submission to a suffering 
and a death which a motion of his will would have made it as impossible for 

Lit. Rem. vol. 5, p. 428, N. Y. Ed. 



INTRODUCTION. vii 

men to inflict as to push the mountains from their place ; his resurrection 
from the grave, and his final crowning return to heaven in the splendors of 
the Ascension : — these all are things the most wonderful, of course, which 
history records; which may well ' stagger, in some minds,' as Mr. Gladstone 
has said, 'the whole faculty or belief;' yet they are facts which on the 
hypothesis of his Divine nature made manifest through the human, are none 
of them incredible, or even improbable ; which, rather, may be accepted, if 
they might not have been looked for, as the fit manifestation, and the 
opulent fruit, of the infinite spirit, wisdom, and will, residing in him. 

The permanence, the beneficence, the ever wider extension of his moral and 
spiritual dominion in the earth, reflect thus a freshly interpreting light on the 
statements of apostles and evangelists about him. With every century it 
becomes more difficult for the simply philosophical student, — though wholly 
uninfluenced by that peculiar Christian affection which in the Church is 
sought to be propagated, — to eliminate from history, and remit to the depart- 
ment of fable or of poetry, the early records of this supreme man : who was 
born to no rank, and trained in no school, who held himself aloof from none, 
and did not shrink from the touch of the sinful, who sought no fame, and 
seemed content to strew his words on the vanishing winds, but who perfectly 
expressed in his crystalline character whatever all peoples concede most 
precious, and who to-day governs governments ; whose words are the light, 
his temper the model, and his life the inspiration, of all that is noblest in 
the modern as in ancient character and thought ; and from whose unconspicu- 
ous advent the new ages of liberty, of discovery, and of progress, date their 
birth. It is a true saying of F. W. Faber, that " the Incarnation is as much 
the world in which we live as is the globe on which we tread." * 

It is simply inevitable, then, that particular incidents, of whatever kind, 
reported to us from 'the life of the Lord, by those who knew him, saw him, 
walked with him, should have for those who accept them as actual, and him 
as the chiefest Person in history, an undecaying dignity and charm. What- 
ever he touched is consecrated thereby to their memories and hearts. The 
places where he dwelt, the cities where he taught, the hills on which he 
prayed, and the sea on which he sailed, are invested with the sublimest, the 
most quickening associations, that can be connected with earthly scenes. It 



* The Blessed Sacrament, p. 308, Bait. Ed. 



Vlll INTBODuCTION. 

is not the capricious impulse of fancy, or the frenzy of superstition, — it is an 
intelligent and a reasonable sense of the unapproached wonderfulness which 
belonged to his life, and which fell from that life as a baptism of glory on the 
very localities amid which it was passed, — which to-day leads pilgrims from 
all Christian lands to the precipitous ledges that rise behind Nazareth, or the 
terraced and fruitful ridge of Bethlehem. The 

holy fields 



Over whose acres walked those blessed feet, 

derive an attraction enduring as time from the consecrating footprints of him 
who had walked the golden streets, but who consented, for our advantage, to 
tread the common ways of earth, and at last to be nailed on the bitter cross. 
No sentence from his lips, but the heart watches and longs to hear. No 
action of his life, of which the believer would not reproduce, if possible, the 
image ; setting it again in its original circumstances, and catching the very 
look and gesture with which it was attended. Not only his miracles attract 
our attention. We think of him in the actions which in others would have 
been commonplace, — dining, sleeping, sitting by the way-side, greeting the 
traveler, or standing on the pebbly beach, — and still our souls are con- 
scious of a secret glow almost as ardent as when we watch him descending 
the stony pitch of Olivet, or reasoning with the rulers on ihe pavement of 
the temple. 

The charm which thus emanates from the supremacy of his person, and 
irradiates the visible scenes which he has hallowed, would have been indeed too 
powerful, if not in a measure counteracted, to leave Christianity itself unim- 
paired, as a spiritual religion, designed for the world. And so it has beep 
made impossible, in Providence, for the precise spot of his birth or his bap- 
tism, of his transfiguration, his death, his burial, or his ascension, to be 
beyond dispute identified ; and no personal relic whatever remains of him. 
An idolatrous adoration of things earthly and temporal would have otherwise 
seemed inevitable in Christendom. If any parchment, like the letter to 
Agbarus mentioned by Eusebius.* on which his hand had traced some lines 
in the Syriac language, remained among men, no setting of diamonds would 
be precious enough wherewith to incase it. If the early legend had been true, 
and the napkin of Veronica had kept the imprint of his face as he wiped 

*Hist Eccl., B. 1, chap. 13. 



INTRODUCTION. IX 

with it the bloody sweat on his way to the cross, the city which contained it 
would have been, by means of it, the centre of concourse for mankind. 
Only in o-eneral, therefore, dp we know where he tarried or wrought. Only 
the sionificant facts of his life are left on record for our instruction, For 
these make impression on the soul, not the sense ; and, by reason of their 
wonderfulness, they are as near and as glorious to those who look up to them 
from the banks of Indian or American rivers as if these had followed the 
winding Jordan from its sweet fountains to its salt grave, or had climbed to 
the crest of Tabor or of Hermon. 

And yet, as it is with all other facts which the senses report or which 
thought apprehends, so, most of all, with these which the gospels narrate of 
the Lord. They have their value in their significance, and not in their mere 
sublimity or strangeness. As every crystal, from the snow-flake this instant 
swinging through the air to the diamond on whose history volumes are written, 
attracts the philosopher to the study of itself because in its special structure 
and form it incorporates a law, and so becomes to him a lens, through which 
he may discern great secrets of nature ; as each heroical action of men, in 
the crisis of their fortunes, reveals the undetermined capacity, for tranquility 
amid pains, for victory over force and a joyous self-sacrifice, which forever is 
lodged in the consecrated soul, and so becomes to the thoughtful observer 
more rich in suggestion than any dazzling march of armies, or the most suc- 
cessful achievement of skill in the intricate whirls of diplomatic intrigue; — 
so, and still more, it is not so much by what they are, as by what they evi- 
dently contain and declare, that the facts which confront us in the life of the 
Lord engage and reward the thoughts of disciples. The secret of their 
preciousness, the hiding of their power, is in this : that — admitting the Lord 
to have been what faith, from both prophecy and history, affirms him to have 
been — through these facts are declared to us, in the sharpness and fulness 
of a personal revelation, the life, the might, and the character of the Most 
High ; that He whom men had blindly groped after, and whom, as Paul de- 
clared of the Athenians, they unknowingly had worshipped, is here set forth 
in the perfect discovery of His grace and His glory, to draw men in penitent 
love to Himself. 

The most amazing event of time, — the appearing of Him by whom all 
things consist, in the person of a man, partaking the experience and sharing 
the nature of those whom His will had first created, and whom it still restored 



X INTRODUCTION. 

by a word from the grave to life, — this had a purpose as sublime as itself. 
All preceding procedures of grace and truth were completed in it ; and the 
waiting yet rebellious world, which had worshipped the winds, had called stars 
and streams to be its gods, had molten the gold, and had almost chiseled the 
marble into life, in its search for a divinity, gained in Him the vision of its 
Maker.* 

It is not then a point which needs to be argued that to one who so accepts 
the Lord the interest which essentially belongs to his life must be supreme, 
and be as immortal as the soul. The most vital and transcendent truth which 
the universe holds, which eternity can show, is here presented ; not as shown 
through words or in vision, but as realized in a life, and revealed through its 
continuous action. Realms of wisdom the very outskirts of which, except 
for this, we could have hardly hoped to tread, are opened by it ; and thus 
it becomes not only the means for illuminating the mind with that ultimate 
knowledge which interprets all others, but also for enriching the moral nature 
with a profound and prophetic experience, in comparison of which all else 
that we gain beneath ' the low-hung sky of time ' is of trifling account. 
"Whoever feels — what all who reflect on it with any attention it would seem 
must feel — that to have a sufficient and certain apprehension of Him from 
whom all being is, and in whose mind are the archetypes of the Universe, 
is of paramount consequence to those who in spiritual constitution are like 
Him, and whose real blessedness and perfect exaltation are only to be found 
in alliance with Him, must find in these records of the life of the Lord at- 
traction to the intentest study, while always conscious that whatever he has 
learned, the fulness of their treasures remains unexhausted. Such a motive 
as that which impels him to this study can animate the scholar in no other 
inquiry. He may well be assured that the spirits of light partake his interest, 
and aspire to share the rewards of his study. 

For it is no mere knowledge which such an one attains, as he dwells upon 

* " The God who dwells in a light inaccessible, into which the human spirit can 
not penetrate, must descend to humanity, bringing himself into the limits of its own 
finiteness, in order to be truly known by it. Not until the incarnate manifestation 
of Deity through Christ could the God afar off draw near to mankind. For the 
first time, through this image of the Divine in human nature, was the idea of God 
enabled to enter, in a vital and substantial way, into the consciousness and thought 
of the race."— Neander. Der erste Brief S. Johannis : p. 123. 



INTRODUCTION". xi 

the gospels, concerning the usages and the spirit of society, in the country of 
Palestine, in the eighth century of the history of Home. It is no£ simply a 
new view which he gains of the mystic and solemn order of history, as he 
places himself at that eminent point toward which preceding centuries had 
tended, around which the world unconsciously paused in a strange peace, and 
from which after times have taken their direction ; where thus the real har- 
monies, in what otherwise were inextricable and bloody tangles of confusion, 
become apparent. It is not simply a juster impression which such a student 
may hope to gain, and may in fact gain, of other truths, greater than these, 
yet all auxiliary to the greatest : — of the guilt of sin, and its tenacious grasp 
on our nature, as illustrated by the mission of the Saviour; of the nature 
of Redemption, and the grandeur of the elements that are combined in it 
to accomplish the atonement and the renewal which we need ; or, even, of 
the glories still surpassing our thought, but surely, hereafter to appear, as the 
heavenly fruit of that atonement and that renewal. 

All these will indeed be gained by him who studies with attentiveness, and 
with spiritual insight, the life which began in the mystery of Incarnation, 
and which closed, as it seemed, in the darker mysteries of Gethsemane and 
the Cross. But still the essential and the perfect result to be attained from 
such a study is that which the Lord himself pointed out as constituting the 
motive which drew him to the world : " that they might have life, and might 
have it more abundantly;" even that unbounded and absolute life whose 
element is " that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ 
whom Thou hast sent." Because it is true as Paul affirmed, in that majestic 
and luminous sentence written to the Corinthian converts, that "God, who 
commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to 
give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus 
Christ," therefore it is true, as he in the preceding paragraph had said, that 
f we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, 
are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of 
the Lord." 

All other attainments are insignificant beside this. When it is accom- 
plished in any soul, that has within it a light and life, a plenary peace, a 
mystery of power, an ecstatic enjoyment, which surpass the results that 
secular studies can produce as the vital force surpasses food, as thought sur- 
passes the reach of the hand. The solid visible frame of things might go 






Xll INTRODUCTION. 

to pieces, in flame and thunder, without troubling the spirit at rest in this 
experience. It has nothing to wish for, except an existence continued 
through immortal years. 

Not only is the life of the Lord, in its entireness, the inestimable means 
for bringing us to such a knowledge of God, and to such an experience 
conditioned upon it ; but it is wonderful to see how each separate part, 
the most unobtrusive and familiar particular, in that brief but ample and 
crowded career, bears on the result; how each fraction of it is freighted 
with Divinest meaning when we have found the secret of its glory, in the 
manifestation it makes of God. Not only do the miracles attest His power, 
and unveil the energy to which the act of creation was but a choice. Not 
only do the signal utterances of truth show forth His wisdom, and tell us, as 
sunbeams tell of the sun, of that effulgent and unsearchable mind before 
which angels bow in awe. The silent years, so many in comparison with the 
three of the ministry, yet of which our records are so brief, reflect the pa- 
tience of the Eternal, and His recognition of the fitness of times in His most 
gracious operations. The tears of Jesus become to us drops from the Infi- 
nite sympathy, beneath which our inmost hearts are melted. His interest in 
the humblest things reproduces before us the mind Supreme, to which nothing 
is small, and which equally rounds the drop of dew and the photo-sphere 
of suns. His benediction of the children whom he took in his arms makes 
us say "Our Father" with warmer heart. His very delay in answering 
some requests interprets the pauses in God's ways, and gives us new motives 
to continuance in prayer. His smile lights up the very heavens, as it re- 
veals the Omnipresent compassion, and pours a sunshine on our souls which 
brightest mornings could not image. While still from his sad rebuking 
glance flashes a light that illumines all warnings of the word, and is itself 
yet more admonitory ; that makes what is meant by the ' outer darkness ' 
almost palpable to our thoughts, and lifts the Judgment before our minds as 
real and near. 

As the Lydian river was fabled to change the very sands its current 
touched to grains of gold, so the Divinity of the Lord, in fact, not in fable, 
makes precious beyond computation or compare the minutest incidents in his 
career. Whatever he did, any words that he said, while he tarried on earth, 
become vivid in significance, and rich in the most illustrious suggestions, 
when studied in the light that falls upon them from his supreme nature ; as 



LNTKODUCTION. Xlll 

the poor frayed threads of his common raiment grew lustrous with celestial 
splendor when he was manifest in his glory. Not without reason did the 
woman believe a virtue to reside in the hem of his garment. And no text 
droops like a frail fringe from the narratives which are the woven robes in 
which he still appears to men, that has not in it a secret virtue for one who 
lovingly takes it in hand. 

What kind of study is appropriate, then, to this life of the Lord, — is 
necessary, if we would gain from it its proper and sufficient fruits, — is easily 
evident from what has been said. A kind of half-poetic pleasure may be 
derived from a cursory survey of it. Yague aspirations, pointing feebly 
toward heroism in purpose, and the beauty of goodness, may be sluggishly 
stirred by a consideration of detached portions of it. But if we would have 
the very soul ennobled and dilated, in all its intellectual powers, as that 
immensest thought of the world is intelligently received, that God for us has 
been revealed in the person of His Son, — most of all, if we would have the 
heart pervaded and purified by the spiritual life which this portraiture of 
the Lord is meant to inspire, — then we must study it carefully, largely, 
with intent contemplation, with all the helps which we can summon ; and 
then, above all, we must study it with affectionate and eager desire to know 
the secret meanings of it, and to have the total impression which it leaves 
adequate to its incomparable glory. For it is not a system of doctrines 
which we examine, when we seek to know this life of the Lord. It is not a 
series of moral precepts, the most instructive and salutary of time. We 
look upon a Person, in his action and discourse ; and a Person is revealed 
only through the sympathetic vibration which he stirs in our souls. Neither 
action nor discourse will open to us their inmost import till we are respon- 
sively related to him who is manifest in both. 

In this respect it is with the transcendent life of the Lord as it is with all the 
humbler lives of those who have served him in the world. It is of real and 
great account to us to be familiar, as we may be, with the life of St. Paul. 
A bracing, inspiring influence comes, over the centuries, from his heroic and 
indefatigable career. His work for men had nowise ended when his head 
had fallen beneath the sword, on the Ostian road. He blesses us still, by 
his spirit as by his words, from Philippi and from Corinth. But we never 
understand him till we are ourselves, in a measure at least, in sympathy 
with him. And what were a catalogue of his perils and pains, his vicissitudes 



XIV INTRODUCTION. 

of fortune, bis missions and bis martyrdom, to one wbo did not comprehend 
through such sympathy the motives that urged and the purpose that ennobled 
him ? It is of eminent service to us of know what we may of the life of St. 
John; that man 'of fiery love and fiery hate,' whose hate was at last all 
melted or exhaled in a consummate love. But what could be really told 
us of his Hfe, — though the narrative stretched from the shore of Gennesaret 
to the rocks around Patmos, — unless we had felt in our own hearts some- 
thing akin to that spirit in him which made him at first the beloved disciple, 
and at last the chosen seer of the Apocalypse ? And so, and still more, 
must we gain through prayer an inward and quickening sympathy with the 
Lord, before the very narratives of the Gospel can make Him live^ and move 
before us, whom Paul and John adoringly served ; in whom we meet the ideal 
of Humanity, but are faced as well, and overshadowed, by the present 
Divinity ; through the tender and kindling eyes of whom we see the Creator's 
face shining on us, and are conscious that it is not a mere human career — 
the most eminent of the ages — which we observe, but that still through those 
eyes, ' as meditation soars upward, it meets the arched firmament, with all its 
suspended lamps of light.' 

Through such a sympathy, wrought within us by the Spirit of God, may 
we come to what Pasquier Quesnel called 'the sacrament of the Gospels,'* 
and look to find the Lord whom they present made evident to our souls. 
We learn then how matchless was the wisdom that formed these, and that 
still has preserved them, amid the disasters of letters and of empires, and has 
kept them as fresh and full as at first; — written with a beauty, and an 
unconscious pathos, which inspiration alone could have secured ; their sim- 
plicity as inimitable as their sublimity; even the apparent discrepancies 
between them becoming but the hooks to hold more firmly and closely to them 
the thoughts of their students ; their four-fold unity presenting with a per- 
fection not otherwise attainable the image of Him, fairer than men, to whom 
alike they all give witness. The study of catechisms, and of systems of doc- 
trine, except as subordinate to this study of the gospels, will only give us 

* "And why may I not use this expression, taking the word Sacrament, in general, 
for the sign and conveyance of some sacred thing ? since nothing is more sacred, 
and more conducive to salvation, than that which God has deposited and concealed 
under the visible sign of the Evangelical word." 

Reflect, on The Gospels, vol. 1, p. 30 ; Phil. Ed. 



INTRODUCTION. XV 

that remote and theoretic conception of the Lord with which many theologians 
have seemed to be content. Hardly more will he he to us than a doctrinal 
thesis, or a logical proposition ; a necessary factor in the scheme of salvation, 
but not, as he should be, a living, loving, active Saviour, full of might, but 
full of grace, on whom we too should have gazed with awe, on whom we too 
could have leaned at supper. 

But when, with an attentive mind, and a heart eager to catch and keep 
each glimpse of his glory, one ponders these marvellous narratives which 
present him, with such careful detail, in such picturesque freedom, through 
an atmosphere as transpicuous as that of the perfect Syrian day, it is won- 
derful to see how his life comes forth from the distance of otherwise vanished 
years, and reappears as if but yesterday it had been actual. The faith then 
formed in us is far enough from being one in which ' the sensation of posi- 
tiveness is substituted for the sense of certainty, and the stubborn clutch for 
quiet insight.' It is a faith to which the intellect and the heart both 
have contributed, stimulating each other in intimate and mutually helpful 
reactions ; in which the imagination, using the helps of the Divine history, 
and quickened by the quickened affections, has bridged the ages, and brought 
again the Crucified and the Crowned distinctly to sight. 

The Lord appears to such a student, through the vital and tender delinea- 
tion of the gospels, as he promised to appear to those who should seek him 
after he had departed from the earth. In his meekness and his majesty, in 
his patience and his power, tempted yet triumphant, insulted yet serene, 
scoffed at by men but worshiped of angels, with the world at his disposal 
yet making himself the poorest in it, submitting to the crown of thorns the 
head on which are many diadems, allowing the nails to be driven through the 
hands whose touch had before unloosed for others the bars of death, — so 
comes before the illumined thoughts this Son of the Eternal; this Prince 
and King of the kings of the earth. Ever more distinct becomes the 
vision, as t'he still renewed feeling awakens the mind to new intentness and 
clarifies it to a fresh perspicacity. Contemplating him, in his beauty of ho- 
liness, subjected to death for our redemption, a fire and force of affection 
pervade us by which conception is almost transmuted into sight. Penitence, 
joy, love, shame, hope, praise, — not contending, but mingling in a grateful 
grief, and all conspiring to a passionate tenderness, — these stir up every power 
of thought. They make the soul alert, far-visioned ; quick to detect, and 



XVI INTRODUCTION. 

wise to interpret, all that is contained in the lucid and manifold evangelical 
narrative; until that soul is as certain of its Lord, and almost as intuitive 
of his presence, as if the mount of his glory burned yet in the splendors 
that faded from the eyes of the disciples, as if the sky had not yet closed 
behind the ascending form at Bethany. 

Then is the work of the gospels complete, for him who studies them. 
Then is the fruit of that Divine guidance by which they were prepared 
presented in his surpassing -experience. For then, in the light that has 
shined from them on the person of the Lord, all things are transfigured. 
Life is sacred. Death is sweet. Heroism is easy ; self-sacrifice a delight. 
Each work for the Master becomes a worship. The eating of bread in 
his dear name is not a form, nor an outward memorial, but a mystical 
sacrament, through which his present love is declared. The Church ex- 
pands to a vast and vital fellowship of believers, knit together in him, — 
many on earth, and more on high. The whole earth is a temple, since 
the Lord hath been in it. The grave is perfumed, since he there lay. 
The Future is resplendent with immortal invitations. Indeed, that Future 
is not far off. It invests our life, at such an hour, and is prophesied in it. 
For the experience then already attained needs only to burst its imprisoning 
shell to be revealed in all the glory of the life everlasting. 

No man has derived the highest advantage from the study of the gospels, 
till he has known this grandest experience. No man has known this until 
he has studied them, not with a common cursory carelessness, but with pro- 
longed and searching thoughtfulness, and with the heart engaged to the work 
as well as the intellect. But whosoever has gained and felt this has known 
that in it he drew nearer than elsewhere to the gates of pearl, and the in- 
stant vision of the King in his beauty. And so it is that from all the other 
portions of the Scriptures, — fascinating as are many of them with narrative 
or portraiture, resplendent as often they are with miracle, or wondrous with 
prophecy, full as they all are of the truth of the Most High, and its renova- 
ting power, — the hearts of Christians instinctively turn to these which are 
central in the series. So it is that with each successive revival of God's 
great spiritual work in the world, the sign of its coming, the pledge of its 
reality, are found in the fact that through the gospels the person, the work 
and the character of the Lord become present and paramount in men's 
thoughts. He is not to them, then, as at other times he may have been, an 



introduction, xvn 

undefined spirit of beauty and power, rising against the eastern sky. He is 
not a simple doctrine of forgiveness. He is not a being whom picture or 
statue may sufficiently represent, and to whose shrine they who think of and 
honor him may acceptably bring gifts like those of shells, flowers, and amber, 
which the royal sculptor brought of old to the ivory statue which his hands 
had fashioned. # The Lord to those to whom he has appeared, revealing him- 
self through the story of the gospels in completest discovery, that he might 
prepare them, at critical times, for his sublimest errands in the world, has 
been manifest in a purity which no ivory could image, and a glory of which 
the sun itself were a poor shrine. An inspiration raining on them, from such 
a radiant disclosure of him as that to Stephen hardly surpassed, has made 
them too go to labor or death on his behalf with faces shining like those of 
angels. And then the jewels they have offered to him have been the great 
works of a consecrated life. The flowers they have brought have been the 
graces, amaranthine and immortal, of souls renewed by a Divine love. They 
have themselves sung his praises, as neither birds nor instruments could, amid 
suffering and toil, or on the edge of the grave. 

It is one of the most marked, as it also is one of the most encouraging, 
of the signs of God's grace in our years, that such suitable study of the 
life of the Lord is now more frequent, and on the whole more successful, 
than for long preceding periods it has been. This has not come, as it is a 
fashion with some to. say, from the fact that skeptics have made their most 
fierce and frequent attacks in these recent years on the record of the gospels. 
That has also been painfully true. But the movement among Christians 
toward the more profound and affectionate study of the same supreme record 

* There are multitudes, no doubt, in the Koman Communion who hold with one 
of the purest and nobtest of its English adherents (Eaber) that "to make Jesus 
better known is to make him better loved, and the love of Jesus is the sanctity of 
the Church." But one who enters a chapel of that Communion, and looks upon the 
crucifix, with the offerings before it, can hardly help sometimes being painfully re- 
minded of those lines of Ovid, describing the effort of Pygmalion to awaken into 
life and love his ivory image : 

Munera fert illi conchas, teretesque lapillos, 
Et parvas volucres, et fiores mille colorum, 
Liiliaque, pictasque pilas, et ab arbore lapsas 
Heliadum lacrymas. Ornat quoque vestibus artus. 
Dat digitis gemmas ; longoque monilia collo. — Met. x : 260-4. 
2 



XV111 INTRODUCTION. 

preceded such attacks, and was their occasion instead of their consequence. 
Peculiar outbreaks of hostile passion from the kingdom of darkness, against 
the kingdom of light and peace, attended the appearance of the Lord on 
the earth ; as if the forces that wrought to resist him had been held in re- 
serve for that critical hour, to be then precipitated, in fiercest assault of 
infernal phalanx, on the field of his Divine operations. The very sky of Pal- 
estine looks lurid, its sod seems teeming, with malign shapes and glancing 
figures swift for evil, as we revert to the years when he walked there. And 
so in our time more energies are combined against the records which testify 
of him because amid these he appears, to minds made freshly attentive to 
him, more clearly and grandly than before. The claim which he urges on 
the fervent faith and the utmost obedience of those to whom he manifests 
God is more evident as his portrait is more carefully studied. And those 
who hold his claim fictitious, and his government undesirable, must therefore 
shatter if they can, or darken and scratch if they can not do more, this won- 
drous mirror of his perfections. 

But the effort will be fruitless, now as before ; and the very wrath that 
would have nailed these life-giving narratives to the cross of a destructive 
criticism will be made in the end, as it has in a measure already been, to 
assist their triumph. The Abyssinian Christians have canonized Pilate. 
The future more enlightened Christendom will recognize the real, though 
alas ! the unintended service, rendered to the gospels, and so to the Christian 
culture of mankind, by those who if they could would have buried these 
gospels, without ointments or spices, in a sepulchre to be broken by no 
resurrection. 

The movement among Christians toward a more intent study and a wider 
appreciation of the life of the Lord, has had its source in an impulse of God's 
Spirit. But it has been aided by the reflex action of those Christian missions 
which have been so suddenly and so immensely extended in the last half- 
century. The preacher of Christ among the heathen has found not his own 
inspiration alone, but the instrument of his chiefest power in converting men 
to God, in the story of the Cross. And the story of the Cross implies that 
of Bethlehem, and of all which intervened between the manger and the 
throne. Patiently, therefore, with most absorbed and affectionate study, 
have many of these watchers and workers for the Lord on darkened shores 
explored the story of the Master, to put liim by God's help before themselves 



INTRODUCTION. XIX 

in the wondrous synthesis of his glories, and then to be able to present him 
to others in a like revelation of his Divine life. And from them has come 
the bright influence back on those from whom they had gone out, to inspire 
them to a similar study. Revivals at home have been quickened and 
widened by this influence, and have conspicuously borne its impress. The 
preaching of the doctrines, declared in the Epistles, has not been neglected. 
The application of the rules of righteousness in the Bible to human affairs 
has been only more searching than before. But the vivid and various 
preaching of Christ has given peculiar lustre and power to the Protestant 
pulpit in these late years ; and Christians have found themselves edified most, 
and men who had not known the Lord have been most quickly and deeply 
stirred, as he who came to be their Saviour, who shall come hereafter to be 
their Judge, has been, through discourses which were richer and more 
quickening than the costliest pictures, presented to them. 

So it is that the diligent study of the gospels is now wider, perhaps, than 
it ever has been. So it is that the attacks made upon them are more desper- 
ate. So it is that the question ' whether Christ made the Church, or the 
Church has made him,' — whether, as Owen stated it in his day, " he, being 
God, was made man for our sakes, or, being only a man, was made a god for his 
own sake,"* — has been more profoundly and eagerly discussed than it has 
been since the Council of Nice. And so it is, through a clearer and more 
general revelation of the Lord to the mind of mankind, that the infinite 
Spirit is now working in the earth to bring in the final glory of his reign. 
It is among the brightest signs of that approaching Millennial day of light and 
love for which the world still waits and moans, and which the Church surely 
expects, that He of whom the martyrs witnessed, and in whose holy faith and 
service millions of men have nobly lived and gladly died, is more plainly 
declared from press and pulpit, is more evidently seen through the Scriptural 
record, than for centuries he has been. A new spiritual coming and triumph 
of the Lord are surely to be evolved from this closer struggle of his holy 
king(Jom with the kingdom of evil. God hasten it, in His grace ! to His 
own honor, and the infinite rest and welfare of the world. 

The volume to which these pages are introductory has been prepared in 
the spirit of the thoughts so imperfectly uttered. It is itself a manifestation 

* Works, vol. 1, p. 32G; Edin. Ed. 



XX INTRODUCTION. 

of the tendency so wide, and so beneficent, to which reference has been 
made. It has been written for the people, by one whose office and joy it is 
to minister to them the things of Christ. The fruit of much thought, 
and of many judicious and enlightening studies, written in a spirit most 
loyal and reverential toward him whom it would represent, and presenting in 
an emphatic and animated style the results of a scholarly and sympathetic 
investigation of the primitive documents which portray his life, as well as of 
what in later days has been written about them, — I can not doubt that it will 
circulate widely, and will bear a useful and an honorable part in the work to 
which it is meant to contribute. May God accept and crown it, to this end, 
with his favor and blessing! May he who was 'the Desire of Nations,' 
and who is the King and Lord of mankind, accept the intention in which it 
originated, and the diligent fidelity with which it has been prepared, as a 
tribute of worship to himself! And may that Spirit of grace and truth 
whom he sends forth, so attend it with His influence that it shall be the 
means of implanting, or of nourishing and renewing, in many hearts, that 
most transforming and heavenly passion of which Coleridge has so excellently 
said : "Christian love is the last and the divinest birth, the harmony, unity, 
and godlike transfiguration, of all the vital, intellectual, moral, and spiritual 
powers. Now it manifests itself as the sparkling and ebullient spring of 
well-doing, in gifts and in labors ; and now as a silent fountain of patience 
and long-suffering, the fulness of which no hatred or persecution can exhaust 
or diminish." 

God grant such love to all who read these lines which describe it ; and 
" unto Him be glory in the Church, by Christ Jesus, throughout all ages, 
world without end. Amen." 

R. S. STORKS, Jr. 

Brooklyn, February 5, 1868. 



PART I. 



Introductory. 



CHAPTER I. 

RATIONALISTIC LIVES OF CHRIST. 

Christ's existence on earth, the great fact of history — queries 
as to the world's history without it — its history, for fifteen 
hundred years, the history of christendom — christianity, not 
a dead or decayed religion — must be accounted for by the 
rationalist — the attempt, repeatedly made — gibbon, paulus, 
semler, and others — strauss' "life of jesus " — its prodigious 
success — comparative failure of his "life of jesus popularly 
treated" — strauss as an opponent of christianity — renan's 
"life of jesus " — his general method — it evinces no proper 
sincerity — its dedication — its eulogies of christ — renan's work 
of incidental service to christianity — grants the authenticity 
of the gospels — concedes the honesty of the evangelists — 
renan's denial of their historic validity — rationalism de- 
vours its children. 

"What shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" 
Pilate could not evade the question ; neither can we. 
Something must be done with Jesus who is called Christ. 

That Jesus once lived on the earth is confessedly the 
most important fact in history. Why, indeed, has no 
philosopher attempted to write the history of the world 
as it would have gone on, had Jesus never been born ? 
What civilization would have replaced that of Rome, 
already in the " sere and yellow leaf" when He appeared ? 
What religion would have built itself up on the ruins of 
the Pantheon ? What art, if any, would have flourished 
after the decay of Greek painting, sculpture and archi- 
tecture ? What literature would have sprung up out of 
the rich mould of the dead classics ? 



24 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

Perhaps the problem is too deep for philosophy to deal 
with ; but there can be no doubt that Jesus turned the 
stream of world-history into a new channel. During the 
last fifteen hundred years, at least, the history of the world 
has been the history of Christendom; that is to say, of that 
portion of the world which has been most profoundly 
moved and moulded by Christianity. The thoughts and 
feelings of millions are to-day inspired by Christ, whom, 
not having seen they love ; whom they adore and serve 
as a living Master and Lord. The intellectual activities 
and social movements of the age are, to a large extent, 
quickened and determined by the mind of Jesus. What- 
ever sciolists may say touching the decay or eclipse of 
faith, — and they are doubtless competent to speak for 
themselves, — Christianity is not dead ; neither is its glory 
extinguished ; but it is still, in human hearts and in hu- 
man society, not only a vital force of wide and wondrous 
energy, but " the master-light of all their seeing." 

Else, why is it so bitterly assailed ? Do men wage war 
against noisome carcasses and " old clothes ? " * None are 
more conscious than the enemies of the gospel that it is 
a living and powerful reality. Of this, their virulent and 
ever-growing hostility is a sufficient proof. They are 
witnesses that our holy religion is not age-stricken and 
feeble, but full of youthful vigor, and is even now buck- 
ling on its armor for glorious war, for universal conquest. 

Now such a religion must be accounted for by those 
who deny its supernatural origin. The problem presses 
itself upon them ; it refuses to be put by; it has become 
a sphinx-riddle ; they must solve it or die. 

With this problem modern unbelievers have repeatedly 
and vigorously grappled. Gibbon, in his disingenuous way, 
attempted it in his celebrated Fifteenth Chapter. His 



* See Carlyle, passim. 



RATIONALISTIC LIVES OF CHRIST. 25 

acknowledged failure did not discourage later assailants. 
Semler, Paulus, and other German rationalists, pretended 
to demonstrate that Christianity was a natural and in- 
evitable product of the normal, historic development of 
mankind ; and that its existence, its wide diffusion, its 
prodigious power, its heavenly spirit, and its victorious 
persistency through so many ages of conflict and persecu- 
tion, could all be accounted for without reference to any 
special divine intervention. The earlier rationalists, how- 
ever, were comparatively feeble and cowardly. It was 
reserved for our own century to produce the ablest and 
most determined foes that Christianity has ever encount- 
ered. Two celebrated writers of our own time have 
assailed the gospel with such imposing erudition, such 
splendor of rhetoric, such amazing audacity, and such re- 
lentless hate, that the names of their predecessors in the 
same unholy crusade are now scarcely remembered. I 
refer, of course, to David Frederic Strauss and Ernest 
Renan. 

The "Life of Jesus" by Strauss, published in 1835. 
created a prodigious sensation. Addressed only to the 
learned, it ran through innumerable cheap editions, both 
in German and English, and was eagerly read, not only 
by students in the universities, but also by travelers on 
steam-boats, by artisans and tradesmen in their shops, and 
even by women and children in the domestic circle. A 
vast and motley audience hung upon his lips with min- 
gled terror, wonder and delight. To his own amazement, 
Strauss, like Byron, " awoke one morning and found him- 
self famous." He had given voice to a wide-spread, wait- 
ing skepticism, the growth of ages of superstition and 
formalism. Infidels everywhere claimed a decisive vic- 
tory, and not a few sincere believers were staggered and 
disheartened. Strauss' a mythical theory " was so plausi- 
ble, his criticism was so cold-blooded and malignant, and 



26 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

his attacks on the Christ of the gospels were so daring 
and defiant, that the shock which he gave to the religious 
sentiment of the world was like that of an earthquake. 

Thirty years only have elapsed, and the same writer 
sends forth a a Life of Jesus Popularly Treated" It 
makes no sensation; it sinks quietly and quickly into 
oblivion; — a curious and significant phenomenon. The 
fact is, that, while Strauss utterly demolished the ration- 
alistic systems of his predecessors, demonstrating that 
they had failed to comprehend the life and personality 
of Jesus, his own theory of the myth has, in its turn, been 
overthrown and ground to powder by recent skeptics. 
Eenan, by conceding the substantial genuineness of the 
four gospels, even that of John, and by broaching the 
theory of legendary history, has confessed that the posi- 
tion of Strauss is no longer tenable. The latter, how- 
ever, notwithstanding his failure to reconstruct the life 
of Christ on natural principles, — even he could not accom- 
plish the impossible, — is incomparably the most learned 
and skillful opponent that Christianity has ever met. 
His signal defeat serves to display, to the joy of believers 
and the confusion of adversaries, the impregnable strength 
of the gospel. 

Kenan's " Life of Jesus " has produced a sensation less 
profound, but even more wide-spread than that of Strauss. 
It is the production of a scholar and a man of genius, but 
displays less logical acuteness and strength than splendor 
and versatility of fancy. It is, indeed, the most brilliant 
and unsatisfying of French novels. Few, even among its 
admirers, would be bold enough to call it history. The 
author himself disclaims a severe, historical method. He 
avowedly adopts the u method of art." He invokes the 
" exquisite tact of Goethe " as his guide. He speaks with 
contempt of scrupulous attention to "the certainty of 
minutiae;" he deems it necessary to divine and conjee- 



RATIONALISTIC LIVES OF CHRIST. 27 

ture; and he extols, as the principal excellence of his- 
torical writing, " the justness of the general idea and the 
truth of the coloring." He commends " the artistic inter- 
pretation and gentle solicitation of texts." He rejects 
certain sayings of our Lord as recorded by John, because 
he regards them as " unendurable to a man of taste by 
the side of the delicious sayings of the synoptics." Ke- 
nan's book, as he himself intimates, is an " art-creation " 
rather than a history. Bearing in mind his avowed prin- 
ciples of composition, and especially his dislike of " petty 
certainty in matters of detail," we may read his work 
with real though not unmeasured admiration of his art- 
istic skill, while we cannot but deplore his manifest lack 
of reverence and truthfulness. 

It is painful to be under the necessity of pronouncing 
so severe a judgment, but one cannot help feeling, that 
the " Life of Jesus " is marked throughout by insincerity. 
For example, the dedication to the spirit of his sister can 
not mean what it seems to mean ; for the writer does 
not believe in personal immortality; nor indeed in any 
intelligence superior to man. The dedication, therefore, 
is nothing but a piece of rhetorical frost-work colored 
with French sentiment. So also his eulogies on Christ 
are, for the most part, unmeaning prettinesses. His wish 
to impart a romantic interest to his book, has led him 
to suggest certain conjectures touching the relations be- 
tween Jesus and the noble women of Galilee, which can 
not but strike a Christian mind as inexpressibly shocking. 
All this may be art, — and it is eminently French art, — but 
it is not history. 

Kenan abounds in references to authorities which are 
quite inaccessible to the majority of even learned readers. 
He quotes largely from books that are locked up in ori- 
ental languages. Perhaps he quotes honestly and fairly ; 
but his citations from less recondite authorities so often 



28 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

prove to be inconclusive and uncandid, that our confi- 
dence in his general reliability is sadly shaken. We find 
so much of the " artistic treatment and gentle solicitation 
of texts/' that we hesitate to trust him in any case where 
a polemic or even an esthetic interest is involved. So 
much for his general character as a biographer. 

Incidentally, Kenan has rendered a signal service to 
the cause of truth. He has the candor to acknowledge 
the apostolic origin of the gospels. He admits that they 
were written "during the second half of the first cen- 
tury." As to Luke, "doubt is hardly possible ;" he "was 
a companion of St. Paul," " a man of the second apostolic 
generation," and he wrote his history "soon after the 
siege of Jerusalem." He assigns a prior date to Matthew 
and Mark, and concedes that the gospel according to the 
latter, especially, has come down to us substantially as 
he wrote it. Though he is scarcely consistent with him- 
self when speaking of the fourth gospel, he seems, on the 
whole, not to doubt that it is essentially the work of the 
apostle John, against whom, however, he betrays a singu- 
larly bitter prejudice. 

This is not all : Eenan admits the moral honesty of the 
authors of the gospels. While he intimates that they did 
not hold our strict modern and occidental notions of his- 
toric veracity, he grants that they were good and well- 
meaning men, who did not intend to act the part of false 
witnesses. Whatever may have been their infirmities and 
errors, they were not guilty of wilful misrepresentation 
and imposture. 

Why, then, the reader is ready to ask, does Renan deny 
the leading events recorded by the evangelists? Why 
does he pronounce the gospels unhistorical and legend- 
ary? Not because he has brought to light any histori- 
cal evidence by which their testimony is impugned and 
their credibility destroyed; but solely on a priori grounds. 



RATIONALISTIC LIVES OF CHBIST. 29 

He lays down a metaphysical dogma as a fundamental 
canon of historical criticism ; he declares that no amount 
of testimony can prove a miracle; and, as the gospels 
narrate many events of a miraculous nature, he pro- 
nounces them for that reason alone unhistorical. "In 
the name of constant experience, we banish miracles 

from history Till we have new light, we shall 

maintain this principle of historical criticism, that a su- 
pernatural relation can not be accepted as such; that it 
always implies credulity or imposture ; that the duty of 
the historian is to interpret it, and to seek what portion 
of truth and what portion of error it may contain." * 
Whether this is to be accepted as an authoritative canon 
of historical criticism, will be considered hereafter ; it is 
sufficient to note here, that Renan, like Strauss before 
him, assumes it without argument. Both, therefore, beg 
the question at issue. 

Eationalism devours her own children. Semler and 
Paulus were annihilated by Strauss ; Strauss, notwith- 
standing his leviathan-scales, is crushed by Renan ; the 
next champion of infidelity, will put an end to Renan 
himself. Meanwhile, the glory of the historic Christ is 
growing more resplendent, and His truth is surely ad- 
vancing towards universal empire ; for He must reign 
till He hath put all enemies under His feet." t 

* " Life of Jesus," page 45. 1 1. Corinthians xv. 25. 






CHAPTER II. 

INVIOLABILITY OF THE LAWS OF NATURE AS RELATED 
TO MIRACLES. 

ACCEPTANCE OF THE SUPERNATURAL, NECESSARY TO A JUST LIFE OF 

CHRIST — THE PRESENT WORK, BASED ON THE REALITY OF MIRACLES 

REASONS FOR THE SCEPTIC'S DENIAL OF THEIR REALITY — VAGUENESS 
OF THE RATIONALISTIC USE OF THE TERMS, " NATURE," " LAWS OF 
NATURE" AND "MIRACLES" — WHAT IS TO BE UNDERSTOOD BY "NA- 
TURE," AS THEY APPLY THE TERM — NO DESIGN TO ADVANCE ANY 
PARTICULAR THEORY OF "NATURE" — WHAT IS TO BE UNDERSTOOD 
BY THE "LAWS OF NATURE" — INVIOLABILITY OF THE LAWS OF 
NATURE, PROBABLY ABSOLUTE — WHETHER MIRACLES DO INVOLVE A 
VIOLATION OF THE LAWS OF NATURE — THE LAWS OF NATURE ADMIT 
OF THE OPERATION OF SUPERNATURAL FORCES — FIRST ILLUSTRATION — 
NATURE OF THE FORCE DISCOVERED — SECOND ILLUSTRATION — NATURE 
OF THE FORCE OBSERVED, AND ITS RELATION TO THE INVIOLABILITY 
OF NATURAL LAW — APPLICATION TO SUPERNATURAL AGENCIES — FUR- 
THER ILLUSTRATION, AND INFERENCES — NATURE'S HIGHEST LAW, ITS 
CAPABILITY OF BEING MODIFIED BY SPIRITUAL AGENCIES. 

It has been seen, that the rationalistic writers men- 
tioned in the previous chapter, agree in denying the 
credibility of miracles. With such a denial the author 
of this work has no sympathy. On the contrary, he is 
profoundly convinced, that no man who rejects the super- 
natural, can construct a u Life of Jesus" which the world 
will accept as possible, or even as permanently interest- 
ing as a work of art. There was more, infinitely more in 
Jesus of Nazareth, than Strauss or Renan ever saw,- — 
more than they could see, prejudiced, as they were, against 
the supernatural element in the gospels. 

Hence, what is here urged throughout, is based on a 
denial that miracles are impossible, or that they are in- 



LAWS OF NATURE AS RELATED TO MIRACLES. 31 

capable of proof. It contends that the miracles recorded 
in the gospels are credible, and that they are sufficiently 
attested to take rank as proper historic facts. It proceeds 
on the fundamental assumption that Jesus Christ was a 
supernatural Being ; that He entered into the line of trans- 
mitted humanity in a miraculous way ; that His teachings 
were dictated by the Holy Ghost dwelling in Him without 
measure ; that the mighty works ascribed to Him were 
actually wrought; that, having suffered death on the 
cross, He actually rose from the dead and ascended into 
heaven. All these are accepted and set forth in the fol- 
lowing chapters, as essential facts in the history of Christ. 

In proceeding to show, as the ground of this assumption, 
that there is no such scientific incompatibility between 
nature and the supernatural in the life of Christ, as ration- 
alists assert, we ask, first, why do they deny the credibility 
of miracles ? Because, in their opinion, a miracle involves 
a violation or suspension of the laws of nature, and all 
experience goes to show, that those laws are absolutely 
inviolable. Such, in their view, is the connection be- 
tween natural phenomena, and so firm and unalterable 
is the order of nature, that a single physical result, pro- 
duced by a supernatural cause, would derange the whole 
system. They regard the supremacy, the universality, 
the inviolability of natural laws, as established by the 
inductive sciences ; and, moulded by those sciences as their 
entire habits of thought have been, they can not easily 
accept the idea of supernatural causation or miraculous 
occurrences in the system of nature. 

The first noticeable fact in the reasonings of this 
class of writers, is the exceeding vagueness and ambiguity 
of the terms employed, and the absence of any thorough 
attempt to correct this evil by exact definition. What is 
meant by the terms, miracle, laws of nature, nature itself? 
The word u nature " is, perhaps, the most ambiguous in 



32 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

use. It is applied to all possible objects of thought, — to the 
elements ; to plants and animals ; to beings material and 
spiritual ; to men, angels, and even to God himseE 

Very clearly, however, the argument against miracles 
employs the term in a restricted sense. As thus em- 
ployed, it must include only the material world; — the 
world of physical causes and effects, or, in other words, 
of sensible phenomena. If there is a world of spiritual 
beings or agencies, it is not included ; it does not come 
within the realm of the natural; it is altogether out 
of and above nature ; it is supernatural. The term nature, 
as used by the rationalistic objector to miracles, has then 
no proper application to spiritual beings, — to personal in- 
telligences ; but touches and includes only the world of 
material or sensible things. Hence it must be borne in 
mind, that, in this discussion, it will be employed only in 
this restricted sense. 

Now, it is not the intention here to advance any par- 
ticular theory as to the constitution of nature. " If the 
new doctrine of the persistency of force, — the correlation 
of forces, as Mr. Grote calls it, — should be established ; if 
all phenomena of matter should be found to be due to 
varieties of motion, to be varied manifestations of one 
essence, our present discussion would not be sensibly af- 
fected. We proceed upon the position that matter is an 
entity manifesting forces, though requiring the direct sus- 
tenance and co-working of the power of God." * 

What, now, is meant by the "laws of nature?" As 
thus applied, the word law is obviously figurative. Our 
primary notion of law comes from the consciousness of 
duty, — from the feeling of obligation to act according to 
some authoritative rule. Hence, the term law properly 
signifies a rule of action. When we survey the natural 

* Fisher's Essays, page 476. 



LAWS OF NATURE AS EELATED TO MIRACLES. 33 

world, — the world of sense, let it be remembered, — we 
are struck with the appearance everywhere of forces in 
constant operation. A closer observation convinces us, 
that those forces do not operate hap-hazard, but with well- 
determined regularity ; that is to say, they appear to act 
in systematic accordance with certain laws. Phenomena 
are so linked together in nature, that they present to our 
view striking uniformities, which, seized upon by the in- 
tellect, and reduced to their simplest expressions, are 
called laws of nature. Having discovered many such 
uniformities, and finding them embraced in a homogene- 
ous scheme, we term the classified aggregate of their 
statements, science. Many other of these uniformities of 
action, or laws of nature, doubtless remain as yet en- 
tirely unknown, or are only dimly shadowed forth in 
phenomena still waiting to be interpreted, and to be in- 
corporated into science. 

Now, with regard to these laws of nature, it can not be 
denied, that, as hitherto ascertained, they seem to be 
fixed and invariable. Causes and effects are linked to- 
gether in a uniform order of succession. The presump- 
tion naturally is, that this uniform or invariable succession 
is only a relation and action, accordant with uniform or 
invariable laws. It is, hence, so probable that the laws of 
nature are invariable, that, while those who deny their 
ever having been suspended or violated by the Creator, 
may be over-bold, the tendency of true science is to pal- 
liate their denial, — perhaps, even to justify it. It is 
indeed quite possible that, at no distant day, this absolute 
inviolability of the laws of nature may be so satisfactorily 
established, as to command the assent of every thoughtful 
theologian. 

The question now arises, whether a miracle really in- 
volves a violation of natural laws. It is, of course, ad- 
mitted, or rather insisted upon, that no miracle can be 
3 



34 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

properly ascribed to a physical cause ; but it is as strenu- 
ously insisted upon, that no law of nature is violated by 
a true miracle. The Scriptures, it must be remembered, 
make no mention whatever of "laws of nature;" much 
less do they intimate, that any such laws were violated by 
the " signs and wonders " which they record. They ascribe 
those signs and wonders to a divine or, at least, a super- 
natural agency ; but, they are far from giving any sanction 
to the doctrine that, in working miracles, God has sus- 
pended or violated those laws which he ordained at the 
beginning, for the government of the world. 

But is it a law of nature that spiritual forces shall in 
no case, operate upon or among physical causes, so as to 
bring to pass material phenomena which otherwise would 
not have taken place ? On the contrary, it is here affirmed, 
that there are intelligent, supernatural agents, who can 
and do produce phenomena in nature without violating 
or suspending its laws. It is maintained that the natural 
world is so constituted, so adjusted and configured to the 
supernatural sphere, as to admit the presence, and come 
under the operation of spiritual forces, without any de- 
rangement of its own order. 

/As a means of gradually approaching the desired con- 
clusion, let us resort to a familiar illustration of the gen- 
eral principle, that a spiritual force may cause physical 
phenomena, without disturbing natural laws. The well- 
known anecdote of Sir Isaac Newton and the apple, while 
probably apocryphal, is still in point, as such an illustra- 
tion. "Walking in his orchard, and observing an apple 
fall from a tree, he was led by this fact, into a track of 
investigation which resulted in the grandest scientific dis- 
covery of the age,— the law of gravitation. But what 
was the process of thought by which he reached the grand 
result ? We may presume it to have been something like 
the following. What he saw was simply the apple mov- 



LAWS OF NATURE AS RELATED TO MIRACLES. 35 

ing through the space between the bcmgh on which it 
grew, and the ground beneath. This would naturally 
suggest the fact that other bodies, under like circum- 
stances, fall in like manner. The question then arose in 
his mind ; why do they thus fall ? The answer was, very 
naturally, because there is a certain power of attraction 
in the earth, which, when they are unsupported, draws 
them to it. Knowing that such facts are of general, if 
not universal occurrence, the philosopher was led to the 
conclusion, — all bodies draw each other; in other words, 
the power of attraction belongs to matter universally. 
Further observation reveals the fact, that the power of 
attraction varies according to the size of the bodies, and 
their distance from each other ; and a proper investigation 
of these differences in attraction, and the circumstances 
under which they occur, at last leads to the discovery of 
the fixed law for this variation; namely, bodies attract 
each other directly as their masses, and inversely as the 
square of their distances; — a proposition, pronounced by 
high authority, " the most important and the most general 
truth hitherto discovered by the industry and sagacity of 
man." In all this we have, of course, supposed the labor 
of years, to be crowded into the space of the few moments 
immediately connected with the observed phenomenon. 

Suppose now, that, before the philosopher leaves the 
spot, a boy approaches, seizes the fallen apple, and tosses 
it into the air. As it falls, he catches it, and again tosses 
it upward. The apple is thus made to move back and 
forth between the ground and the tree. The force which 
brings it toward the ground is the physical force, just dis- 
covered by the philosopher : in other words, the apple is 
made to fall by the force of gravitation. But is it gravi- 
tation which causes it to ascend? Certainly not. By 
what force, then, is it impelled in its ascent? By the 
muscular force of the boy's arm ? Doubtless ; but what 



36 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

cause in nature put the muscles of his arm in motion ? 
Science is dumb : the philosopher is at a loss. Newton 
can not answer the question any better than the boy 
who is tossing the apple. The latter perhaps will say, 
"I made my arm move;" the former, "He willed to 
move his arm, and it moved." 

Here, then, was a cause operating in nature, of which 
physical science can give no account. No philosopher 
was ever silly enough to reckon the will among physical 
forces. The power, then, that impelled the apple up- 
wards was a human will, — a spiritual power,— a power 
above nature, — supernatural It was a power distinct 
from gravitation, and, for the time being, transcend- 
ing and counteracting it. But did it suspend or violate 
the law of gravitation ? No, the gravitating force oper- 
ated just as. constantly and powerfully on the apple, during 
its ascent under the impelling force of the will, as it did 
while it was falling. Thus, it appears clear that, while 
the laws of nature are fixed and inviolable, they are 
just as clearly distinguished by a certain elastic flexi- 
bility, in obedience to which, they may, for the time 
being, yield to each other or to the will of man, without 
losing their own energy, or suffering even a momentary 
disturbance. 

The application of all this is plain. If the laws of na- 
ture are not violated by the intervention of the human 
will, in the production of phenomena which would not 
otherwise have occurred, how can it be shown, that 
they would be violated by the intervention of a super- 
human will f The argument allows us to suppose, that 
as, in the case of the boy tossing the apple, the human 
spirit operated on matter through the voluntary force, (of 
the essential nature of which we know nothing,) so there 
may be other, higher, superhuman spirits equally empow- 
ered to act upon matter, through some force unknown 



LAWS OF NATURE AS BELATED TO MIRACLES. 37 

to us, or perhaps through some, to us, unknown phase 
or development of the same voluntary force. 

Reverting to the previous illustration, let us suppose 
that the boy's hand is withdrawn after the act of tossing 
the apple, and that some invisible agency seizes and holds 
the apple suspended in the air, will some rationalist tell 
us what law of nature is thereby violated? Certainly 
not the law of attraction. That remains just as truly 
intact as when the apple was prevented from falling by 
the agency of the boy. Nor was it the law of causation. 
There is still a cause adequate to the effect ; and there 
is no proof that the actual, operating force is not as truly 
spiritual in the one case as the other. Suppose, now, still 
further, that this same spiritual agency should, instead of 
the apple, raise the boy himself, and keep him suspended 
in the air ; or should support him and preserve him from 
sinking, while walking on the water ; or should even cause 
him to ascend to the clouds, and disappear from human 
view; — suppose any or all of these, and what suspension 
of physical laws would be necessitated ? Might not all of 
them remain intact and in full play? The only in- 
ference proper would be, that some special cause above 
nature, — a cause perfectly adequate, though mysterious 
and wonderful, had intervened and produced a series of 
phenomena, which, new and peculiar as they might appear 
to us, by no means occasioned any derangement of the 
natural order, or -any infraction of the laws of the material 
world. 

Evidently, then, nature is not an iron system of dead 
laws, excluding peremptorily from the world of things 
all spiritual agency, all supernatural causation. It is, 
rather, a system whose first and highest law is the capa- 
bility, in all material existences, of being reached and 
modified by forces of a supernatural sphere. Matter 
was, in fact, created for, spirit. It was intended to be 



38 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 



moulded and governed by mind. It was ordained to be 
the instrument and servitor, as well as the limitation and 
vesture of thought. The monuments of human thought 
and purpose with which the earth is everywhere studded, 
all go to show, that the material world with all its forces, 
some of them profoundly mysterious, was originally ad- 
justed to the world of spiritual intelligences, so that they 
might be in free and unimpeded communication. How 
spirit acts on matter, we do not know, perhaps we cannot 
know. But, that our natural bodies are somehow moved 
and controlled by mind; that the material elements around 
us are, in some way, reached and grasped by will, this we 
do know. Indeed, nothing is clearer than the fact, that 
the material is open and subject to the authority and im- 
pulse of the spiritual. No laws of nature, then, are viola- 
ted by the intervention of supernatural agencies ; and the 
objection to miracles, that they involve such a violation 
of the laws of nature, falls to the ground. 



. 



CHAPTER III. 
THE GENERAL PROBABILITY OF MIRACLES. 

EXISTENCE OF KNOWN PHYSICAL FORCES OF A MOST SUBTLE AND INCOM- 
PREHENSIBLE CHARACTER — RELATION OF A BETTER KNOWLEDGE OF 
THESE TO THE QUESTION OF SUPERNATURAL INTERVENTION — NATURE, 
INTENDED FROM THE BEGINNING TO BE SUBJECT TO SUPERNATURAL 
POWERS — THE EXISTENCE OF A PERSONAL GOD ASSUMED IN THE AR- 
GUMENT — THE RELATIONS OF GOD TO HIS INTELLIGENT CREATURES AS 
BEARING ON THE SUBJECT — PRESUMPTION IN FAVOR OF A REVELATION — 
CONSEQUENT PRESUMPTION LN FAVOR OF MIRACLES — THE GOSPEL HIS- 
TORY, ACCEPTED AS CREDIBLE — POSITION OF THAT HISTORY WITH RE- 
GARD to Christ's miracles — the question as to "presuppositions" 

RELATIVE TO CHRIST AND HIS HISTORY — THE IMPRESSIONS LEFT BY 
CHRIST ON THE MINDS OF HIS COTEMPORARIES — SUBLIME PROLOGUE 
TO THE FOURTH GOSPEL. 

We have already seen that miracles involve no such 
violation of the laws of nature, as renders them absurd or 
impossible. Without going into a detailed and exhaustive 
examination of the question of their probability, there are 
certain general considerations of a more popular character, 
which properly claim attention here. 

Notwithstanding the boasts of some scientific men, 
nature contains 'oceans of living forces which science has 
not yet explored. Some of these forces are evidently 
nearer the mind of man, and are more pliant to his will, 
than any which have hitherto been reduced to scientific 
description and interpretation. There are facts connected 
with animal magnetism, clairvoyance, somnambulism, and 
the so-called spiritual manifestations, so positively indica- 
tive of the existence of such forces, that they are as much 
beyond denial as they are beyond explanation. Those 



40 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

forces, the far-seeing mind of Lord Bacon divined and ob- 
scurely described; and their reality, the most profound 
philosopher of our age, Sir William Hamilton, felt himself 
compelled to acknowledge, notwithstanding his inability 
to explain their nature or mode of operation. 

It is quite probable, that, if these obscure forces of nature 
were as well understood as attraction, — as well, indeed, as 
they may be hereafter, — they would throw important light 
on the solution of the problem, — howjnind acts upon mat- 
ter. But however that may be, until men of science have 
discovered all the laws of nature, it is the height of folly 
and arrogance for them to deny the production of material 
phenomena by spiritual beings ; in other words, to deny 
the possible or probable occurrence of miracles. 

The reader will perhaps ask, whether we intend to assert 
that the ordinary influence of mind on matter is miracu- 
lous ? Certainly not : but it is claimed, that the produc- 
tion of phenomena in nature, by a power above nature, 
proves that nature is so constituted as to admit supernatu- 
ral forces into its sphere, without any disturbance of its 
own order. Nay, more, the thesis may be defended, — that 
nature must admit supernatural forces into its sphere, or 
itself fall into confusion and come to nothing. It will, in 
time, come to be seen and acknowledged, that nature was 
intended from the beginning to be the subject of super- 
natural powers, and to afford a theater for their operation. 
The world originated in just such a supernatural interven- 
tion, — originated in that grand miracle, creation ; and it has 
to a great extent been, from the beginning, modified or 
rather glorified by a stupendous succession of miracles, — 
miracles which, so far from deranging the order of nature, 
have rather established it. Compared with these examples 
of supernatural intervention, the miracles narrated in the 
gospels are not marked by even the shadow of improba- 
bility. 



PROBABILITY OF MIRACLES. 41 

The whole question turns on the single considera- 
tion, — whether there is or is not any will above nature, 
except the will of man, able to produce physical phe- 
nomena. Is there a God ? If there is, miracles are possi- 
ble and probable. This is a question which we do not 
here discuss. The existence of a personal God is, through- 
out this work, assumed. The refutation of atheism and 
pantheism is left to those who have the leisure to pursue 
it. What is here written is for those who, however they 
may have been perplexed by doubts as to " His only Son, 
Jesus Christ our Lord," "believe in God the Father Al- 
mighty, Maker of heaven and earth." They believe, con- 
sequently, in an infinite self-conscious Intelligence who 
created the worlds, and governs them according to his wise 
and benevolent purpose. 

Now we necessarily attribute to such a Being, free will. 
We believe in His omnipotence ; in His absolute goodness. 
We can not conceive of Him as limited and bound by 
physical laws ; and we can not doubt, if we would, that He 
is just and good. As a personal God, He stands in the 
closest relations to all created persons. He is their Father ; 
their Moral Governor ; their Judge. The world of mind, — 
of rational intelligences, — is, in His estimation, far above 
the world of matter. The latter, indeed, exists only for the 
former ; fbr " intelligence stands first in the order of ex- 
istence," and moral laws are higher than physical laws. 

This brings us- to the point, that the probability of a 
miracle depends less on physical than on moral considera- 
tions. All pronouncing as to its probability, based wholly 
upon physical considerations, is altogether ex-parte and 
insufficient. A miracle is, in no case, wrought for the ma- 
terial world, but for the soul of man, — for his spiritual 
good. But inasmuch as this is the end of God's moral 
government, and of all His works, there can be no pre- 
sumption against a miracle, whenever the highest good of 



42 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

the human race demands it : the presumption, on the con- 
trary, is altogether in its favor. 

Now, that man needs a revelation, may be argued from 
his religious nature, and from that consciousness of his sin 
and ruin which has been attested by every religion since 
the fall, and recognized by every philosophy ancient and 
modern. That man is a fallen and sinful being, is not a 
dogma peculiar to Christianity; it is a, fact witnessed by 
the universal moral consciousness of the race. The feel- 
ing of spiritual need is so intense and so wide-spread among 
mankind, that it may well be called the dumb prayer of hu- 
manity. Now, accepting the existence of these facts; — 
that there is a personal God ; that His highest relations are 
to His moral subjects ; that man has lapsed into a state of the 
deepest sin and misery ; and that everywhere the human 
soul is conscious of its spiritual need ; — accepting all this, 
we cannot but believe that a Father's pitying eye is look- 
ing down on our human struggles and sorrows ; we must 
feel, when we read that " God so loved the world that He 
gave His only begotten Son" for it, that it was what might 
have been expected ; it was just like Him to do it, and to 
reveal the glad tidings of it to His perishing children. In- 
deed, it is safe to say that no other great fact in history has 
ever been able to claim so strong an antecedent probability 
in its behaE 

But it must be borne in mind, that a revelation could 
not have been made except in a miraculous way. We do 
not say, it could not have been sufficiently attested ; that 
is still an open question. What we do affirm is, that mir- 
acles are essential parts of the revelation itself. Every 
presumption, then, in favor of a revelation from God, is 
equally and alike a presumption in favor of miracles. Un- 
less then we are to deny a revelation altogether, we must 
admit the probability of miracles. 

Having thus endeavored, (and we trust, not altogether 



PEOBABILITY OF MIRACLES. 43 

without success,) to remove the only alleged presumption 
against the credibility of the gospel history, it is now 
competent for us to assume its entire truthfulness. In- 
deed, the four gospels exhibit every mark of sincerity 
in their writers ; they are characterized by an artless sim- 
plicity, an earnest candor, and a high moral tone, quite 
unrivalled among ancient writings. They are the testi- 
mony of eye-witnesses, under conditions which forbid even 
the suspicion of delusion or imposture. 

Beyond this, they record the explicit testimony of Jesus 
Himself, to the reality of the mighty works which are 
ascribed to Him. Those who deny His miracles, make Him 
either a senseless madman or a deliberate impostor. But 
that "higher criticism" which charges intentional decep- 
tion on Jesus of Nazareth, may safely be left to be dis- 
posed of by the moral sense of mankind. 

The question now arises, in conclusion, whether we are 
to enter on our work of portraying the life of our Lord, 
without any " presuppositions " as to His person and char- 
acter. It is claimed by rationalistic critics that this is the 
only historic method. The assertion is here ventured, 
that true history never was written in this way, and 
never can be. The assertion is certainly and eminently 
true of biography. A man, for example, who should at- 
tempt to compose a life of Abraham Lincoln, with no ideas 
of the man derived from the impression he made on his 
cotemporaries, and on the public mind in general, would 
have no proper conception of the significance of his ma- 
terials. He would, of necessity, enter upon his course of 
investigation with an exceedingly vague and unreliable 
impression as to the results which he was to reach ; and 
his progress in that course would, as a natural consequence, 
be more or less fluctuating and unsatisfactory. The truth 
is, he must find the key to the man's life and character, 
in the impressions which he left on the minds of those 



44 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

who knew him well. This key must open to him that 
general conception of the man's life and character, which 
is his best guide and stimulus in the work of investiga- 
tion. The process of investigation may reveal new facts 
and correct erroneous notions ; but it will not essentially 
change the original conception. 

Now, we find that Jesus left on the minds of his co tem- 
poraries the impression that He was, in a high and pecu- 
liar sense, the Son of God. " This view of Christ's person 
arose from the direct impression which His appearance 
among men made upon eye-witnesses, and, through them, 
upon the whole human race. This image of Christ, which 
has always propagated itself in the consciousness of the 
Christian Church, originated in, and ever points back to, 
the revelation of Christ himself, without which, indeed, it 
could never have arisen. As man's limited intellect could 
never, without the aid of revelation, have originated the 
idea of God; so the image of Christ could never have 
sprung from the consciousness of sinful humanity, but 
must be regarded as the reflection of the actual life of 
such a Christ. It is Christ's self-revelation, made through 
all generations, in the fragments of His history that re- 
main, and in the workings of His spirit, which inspires 
these fragments, and enables us to recognize in them one 
complete whole.''* 

In this view, there is nothing more sublime than the 
prologue to the fourth gospel, with which we close this 
chapter, and which may well stand as the inspired motto 
of this Life of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on Earth : 

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was 
with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the 
beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and, 

*Neander's Life of Christ, page 4. 



PROBABILITY OF MIRACLES. 45 

without Him, was not anything made that was made. In 
Him was life; and the life was the light of men. 

" There was a man sent from God, whose name was 
John. The same came for a witness to bear witness of 
the Light; that all men, through him, might believe. He 
was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that 
Light. 

" That was the true Light which lighteth every one that 
cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the 
world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. 
He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. 
But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to 
become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His 
name; which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of 
the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us; 
and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten 
of the Father, full of grace and truth? 



CHAPTEE IV. 

THE DELAY IN THE COMING OF OUK LORD. 

THE CHRONOLOGY OF CHRIST'S BIRTH — HIS COMING LONG DELAYED IN THE 
WORLD'S HISTORY — QUESTION, WHY THIS WAS NATURALLY RAISED — 
ORDERED BY DIVINE WISDOM — THE DELAY REQUISITE TO A JUST PREP- 
ARATION — HISTORY HAS AN ORGANIC UNITY — CHRIST MUST COME INTO 
WORLD-HISTORY, IN ACCORDANCE WITH ITS LAWS, — AT AN EARLIER 
AGE, THE WORLD WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORALLY PREPARED FOR 
THE ADVENT OF JESUS — SUCH A MORAL PREPARATION, ONLY REACHED 
THROUGH AGES OF MORAL DISCIPLINE — THE NATIONS GIVEN TO IDOLA- 
TRY — IDOLATROUS SYSTEMS MUST DECAY AND LOSE THEIR HOLD ON 
MANKIND — DELAY NECESSARY TO COMPLETE THE CYCLE OF PROPHECY — 
NECESSARY TO THE PROPER CIVIL CONDITION OF THE WORLD — THE 
DELAY A SIMPLE CHRONOLOGICAL NECESSITY. 

Accoeding to the received chronology, our Savior was 
born in the year 4004, from the creation. Another chro- 
nology, widely approved by scholars, assigns a much longer 
period to the history of the world before Christ. 

Whichever we choose to accept, our Lord delayed His 
coming through long and weary ages. In the promise 
made to Eve, that the seed of the woman should bruise 
the serpent's head, there was no intimation of any long 
delay; and the early expectation seems to have been, that 
the promise would be speedily fulfilled. Eve's language 
in naming Cain, would indicate it as her belief that she 
had already brought forth the Divine Deliverer. The ex- 
pectation, however, was a mistaken one : the promised 
Deliverer had not yet come. Age after age passed away, 
generation followed generation to the tomb; the world 
waxed more and more corrupt; millions perished in sin 
and misery ; yet the night still shrouded the nations ; no 
a Day-Star from on high " appeared. 



delay of Christ's coming. 47 

But why this long delay? Why did not Christ ap- 
pear in the world nearer the opening of its history ? The 
question forces itself upon the thoughtful mind ; and, on 
the whole, it is neither idle nor unlawful. It is quite 
analogous to the question ; Why was Jesus born in Pales- 
tine, among the Jews, rather than in Greece, or Rome, 
or India? — a problem properly regarded as both legiti- 
mate and important. 

Now we must believe that the time of Christ's advent 
was determined by the infallible purpose of Him who has 
the times and seasons in His own power, and that its long 
delay was ordained in infinite wisdom. Certainly, the 
wisdom of God may be as strikingly displayed in the 
selection of Christ's birth-time, as of Christ's birth-place. 
That wisdom has not left us without some indications of 
the reasons for the time chosen. 

The general principle which underlies the answer to the 
main question is suggested by the language of the great 
Apostle : — " When the fulness of the time was come, God 
sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 
that He might redeem them that were under the law, that 
we might receive the adoption of Sons."'* An earlier 
advent of the Messiah would have been, so to speak, un- 
timely. At no earlier period, could the conditions requi- 
site to the success of His mission have been prepared. 

There is in human history an organic coherence and 
development. Events, including those called miraculous, 
do not take place without a certain connection and fixed 
order of evolution. This order is from the simple to the 
complex ; from the less to the greater ; from lower forms 
of existence to those higher; from cycles of action and 
incident more restricted in their character and relations, 
to those more vast and comprehensive. It was so in the 

* Galatians iv. 4, 5. 



48 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

creation, from the origination of dead matter to the ap- 
pearance of man ; it is so with the history of man, from 
his appearance on the newly-created earth down to the 
end of time. Human progress in world-history goes on 
then inevitably under great laws, by which every succes- 
sive stage is the result of all that have gone before, and 
can in no wise either anticipate its time or change its 
place. Science is, therefore, not at fault when it seeks to 
ascertain the laws of man's development in the succession 
of human generations ; it only errs when it rests in mere 
physical laws, and fails to recognize, or arrogantly denies, 
free mind as a moving force in history. 

Now Christ was to enter into world-history in accord- 
ance with its divinely constituted laws, and to take place 
in it as a legitimate agency in the new evolution: He 
was to come into real historic relation to the human 
family; to penetrate as a regenerating force the great 
heart of mankind ; to mould anew, working from within 
outwards, the entire race ; and at length to consummate 
His work in the renovation of Nature itself, — in the pal- 
ingenesis for which prophetic souls have longed since the 
foundation of the world. All things were to be new-born 
in Him ; from Him, history was to take a new departure ; 
and man fallen was to become, in Him, man regenerate, — 
the child of God, the heir of glory and immortality. But 
thus He could not come — into the world's history He could 
not thus enter, till through successive growths and evolu- 
tions that world-history had been brought to the proper 
shape and ripeness for His manifestation and introduction 
into it. All this was, however, the work of ages. 

We often say of men like Eoger Bacon and Galileo, 
that they were born too soon ; that they belonged to a 
later age ; that their genius and their lives were thrown 
away on cotemporaries incapable of appreciating them. 
So, too, if Jesus had appeared on the earth in an earlier 



DELAY OF CHEIST'S COMING. 49 

age, He would have been born too soon ; there would have 
been such a lack of preparation on the part of man, that 
His person and His mission would have been utterly mis- 
understood and universally rejected : the unspeakable gift 
of God would have been conferred upon the world in vain. 

There must have been in the most ancient times, a dim 
consciousness of evil, — a vague feeling that all was not 
right in the relations between man and God. But in the 
childhood of the race, appetite and passion, imagination 
and superstitious fear, predominated over reason and re- 
flection, and hence either blunted or perverted the moral 
sense. Even the cultivated nations of antiquity were 
strangely blind to moral distinctions. Almost the highest 
crimes known among the Greeks and Romans, were of- 
fences against customs and prejudices purely superstitious 
and conventional, while they regarded with indifference, 
not unfrequently with complacency, the most abominable 
violations of the fundamental maxims of morality. Even 
in the line of the Hebrew patriarchs, to whom special 
revelations were at intervals vouchsafed, we see evidences 
of the most deplorable moral obtuseness. Eebekah, Jacob 
and his twelve sons, though doubtless far superior to their 
cotemporaries, committed heinous sins without any ap- 
parent compunction. 

Now a moral sense so obtuse was by no means fitted to 
apprehend the teachings of Jesus as to either sin, or sal- 
vation from sin. ^But, as it was the great design of Christ's 
coming to take away the sin of the world by purchasing 
remission, and by providing those sanctifying agencies by 
which alone the hearts of men can be renewed and puri- 
fied, His mission would have failed of its effect, had He 
appeared before the moral consciousness of mankind had 
become cognizant of sin, and of the need of redemption. 
Yet, this could only be effected through a discipline under 
law carried on for ages ; for the apostle Paul has taught 



50 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

us, that " by the law is the knowledge of sin," * and that 
therefore the law is "our schoolmaster to bring ns to 
Christ," Hence, notwithstanding their long-continued 
supernatural training, we find that even among the en- 
lightened Jews, it was not until late in their history that 
such acute religious sensibility and profound spiritual con- 
cern had been awakened, as found expression in the outcry 
of Paul ; u Oh wretched man that I am ! who shall deliver 
me from the body of this death ? " f 

Still further, it must be borne in mind that soon after 
the flood, idolatrous religions sprang up which ultimately 
extended over the peopled earth, and attained a power as 
prodigious as their influence was delusive. The faith of 
the nations in their false gods was for many ages steadfast 
and undoubted ; all their modes of thought and feeling were 
so moulded and fixed by idolatry, that they were in no con- 
dition to accept a religion, which held to the spiritual 
worship of one living and true God; which taught the 
entire sinfulness of the creature, the utter worthlessness 
of all creature works or offerings, and the need of an 
atoning sacrifice and Savior. 

Now, the world could not be in any state of preparation 
for Christianity, before those pagan religions had run 
their cycle. Brought to the actual test of long expe- 
rience, they must be " weighed in the balance and found 
wanting." Their vanity, absurdity, and pollution must 
become manifest to the world. Their oracles must be 
dumb ; their priests must lose faith in the gods, and 
respect for their rites ; thoughtful men must find them- 
selves weltering in a sea of doubt and despair ; — in short, 
it must become clear that idolatry could do nothing for a 
lapsed and dying world. But no such results could be 
looked for except through ages of sad and fruitless and 
despairing experience. 

* Romans iii. 20. f Romans vii. 24. 



DELAY OF CHRIST'S COMING. 51 

Again, the earlier coming of Christ would have antici- 
pated the full completion of the cycle of prophecy. Aside 
from the fact that the prophecies constituted an important 
part of our Lord's credentials, we must not lose sight of 
the indispensable need of the prophecies as preparatory 
to a proper reception of Jesus. It was not only necessary 
that the great hope of a coming Messiah should be kin- 
dled and kept burning in the Jewish mind ; but k was 
also requisite that His character and mission should be 
so clearly . delineated and so well understood beforehand, 
that at least the enlightened and devout should be able 
to sing at His appearing ; " Lo, this is our God ; we have 
waited for Him, and He will save us : this is the Lord ; 
we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in 
His salvation." * Now the utterances of no single prophet, 
of no single age, would have served to keep before the 
Hebrew mind this distinct image of Him who was to 
come : the mighty argument must be transmitted through 
many generations, from Adam down to John the Baptist. 
Not until that point had been reached, — and reached 
through this precise process, — could the fulness of the 
time come for the advent of the Savior. 

Still further, the free proclamation and rapid spread of 
the Gospel required a civil order and a civilized culture, 
which did not exist at any previous period, and which 
are the fruit of long-continued growth and development. 
A language must be providentially prepared as a fit 
vehicle for the communication of the profound truths of 
the Gospel, — a language adapted alike to the compre- 
hension of the simple and the taste of the learned, and 
generally current throughout the civilized world. Through 
such a language only, could the preacher gain access to 
minds of the highest intelligence and culture, and preach 



* Isaiah xxv. 9. 



52 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

the Gospel to every creature. Many other conditions were 
also necessary, such as, general peace and security among 
the nations ; well-established and widely extended civil or- 
ganization and order ; general religious toleration ; a wide 
diffusion of Judaism and Jewish influence ; and vast and 
varied facilities for intercourse throughout the civilized 
world. Conditions like these, assuredly, could not be 
reached except through ages of national discipline and 
development; and did not exist until the days of the 
Caesars. 

Finally, the late coming of Christ was a simple chrono- 
logical necessity. Christ's appearance and abode on earth 
was necessarily restricted in respect to place and time. 
Few of earth's myriads could, in any case, behold Him : 
by the majority, He must be received by faith. Hence, by 
divine wisdom, He was placed midmost in the world's 
history., And in that central position, He towers, like 
some vast mountain, to heaven ; the farther slope stretch- 
ing backward toward the creation ; the hither slope, toward 
the approaching consummation of all things : the ages 
before look to Him with prophetic gaze ; the ages since, 
behold Him by historic faith; — by both He is seen in 
common, as "the brightness of the Father's glory," and 
the unspeakable gift of God to the race. 



CHAPTER V. 

POSTURE OF THE HEATHEN NATIONS, AS PREPARATORY 
TO CHRIST'S COMING. 

Christ's coming, not the result of any ordinary development— 
the preparation for his coming, indicative of some supernatu- 
ral evolution — ancient civilizations and religions, productive 
of no true moral progress — asiatic development a failure — 
its ideas, only an incidental influence on jewish mind — the 
messianic ideas originally jewish and carried by them to the 
east — especial results from grecian development — the greek, 
the language of the then civilized world — results from roman 
development — civil order and organization, from rome — use- 
lessness of greek and roman religion to christianity — pliny's 

DESPAIR. 

Looking back over the ages which had elapsed previous 
to the commencement of our own era, we see all things 
pointing to Christ; but we discover no signs of any latent 
virtue in human nature capable of producing Him. In- 
deed, while we know that "He was made according to 
the flesh," of the seed of David, of Abraham, and of 
Adam, we feel that no human genealogy can "declare 
His generation." 

When we glance at the mighty preparation for the 
coming of our Lord, — a preparation that involved the 
distribution, governance, and education of nations, we 
must remember that that preparation was no mere process 
of natural development of which He was the "bright, con- 
summate flower." It was, instead, the express supernatural 
preparation of the world for the reception of Jesus as the 
unspeakable gift of the Father. All the efforts of scep- 



54 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

tical writers to show the contrary, — to reduce Christ to 
the level of an ordinary historic appearance in the normal 
course of human development, have utterly failed. Ail 
history gives the lie to their theory. Jesus was so plainly 
exceptional in the history of our race, that the deepest 
thinkers have steadily refused, for eighteen hundred years, 
to class Him with mankind as a mere man. The "Son of 
man" he truly was; but He was also the "Son of God." 

This great truth is beautifully set forth by Neander: 
" The human life of Christ took its appointed place in the 
course of historical events ; — nay, all history was arranged 
with reference to its importance : yet, it entered into his- 
tory, not as a part of its offspring, but as a higher element. 
Whatever has its origin in the natural course of humanity 
must bear the stamp of humanity, — must share in the sin- 
fulness which stains it, and take part in the strifes which 
distract it."* 

Turning now our attention to the world into which He 
was about to come, we find that its history for forty cen- 
turies lay among the Asiatics, the Egyptians, the Greeks, 
the Eomans, and the Jews. Mighty civilizations were 
early developed on the plains of Assyria, and in the valley 
of the Nile. But they were civilizations without God, 
without even morality ; and the religions which gave them 
a certain infernal life and energy, had their roots in an 
amazing and loathsome sensuality, which opened no "pene- 
trating vistas of a divine world."f They came to nothing, 
without contributing any important element to the reli- 
gious progress of mankind. No grand moral idea could 
originate among races debased by despotism and bestial 
idolatry. * 

The providential discipline and development of Asia in 
particular, (and Egypt is historically Asiatic,) lay in ever- 

*Neander's "Life of Christ," p. 13. toenail's "Life of Jesus," p. 52. 



POSTURE,- OF THE HEATHEN NATIONS. 55 

lasting failure and disappointment. Her empires rose and 
fell like ocean waves, leaving no trace of their existence. 
Her sages, baffled and repelled by the world without, where 
perpetual change with no progress seemed to justify the 
sentiment, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity," gave them- 
selves up to melancholy contemplation, to. visions of the 
unearthly, to mystic dreams of a future life, and to the 
shadowing forth in symbols both colossal and monstrous, 
of vague and wild pantheistic imaginings. 

Evidently, a civilization and culture so barren and 
abortive, could contribute nothing to the moral and re- 
ligious advancement of the race. Possibly, some inci- 
dental influence may have been exerted upon the Jewish 
mind. The religious imagination thus formed and fos- 
tered, may have supplied the imagery which pervades the 
recorded visions of Daniel, Ezekiel, and the later prophets. 
It may even have created those modes of thought which 
rendered some of the discourses of our Lord, and the 
Apocalypse of John, intelligible and attractive to the ori- 
ental mind; but it contributed no ideas or dogmas to 
Christianity: the whole was ethically and theologically 
useless. 

There are those who, denying the possibility of super- 
natural intervention, and, for that reason alone, ascribing 
the prophecies of Daniel to some unknown writer in the 
time of the Maccabees, assert that the Jews, and Jesus 
with them, borrowed their ideas of the future life and 
the Messiah's kingdom, from the degraded Asiatic nations. 
Such an assertion is only an intrepid begging of the ques- 
tion. In the acknowledged absence of historical proof, it 
seems far more probable that the Asiatics profited by the 
teachings of the Jews than that the Jews borrowed the 
leading articles of their religipn from the Asiatics. The 
truth is, the Messianic ideas were original with the Jewish 
race; and those ideas they carried with them into their 



56 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

eastern captivity; for they had, at that time, the Psalms 
of David, and the Prophecy of Isaiah. 

Glancing now at the younger but greater nations of the 
West, we clearly trace in their history a progressive prep- 
aration for the kingdom of God. It was the mission of 
Greece to develop and train the natural man; to cultivate 
the reason and the taste; to create science and art; to give 
to the world metaphysics, logic, rhetoric, and a language, 
so copious and flexible, and yet so clear and precise, that 
it was fitted to be the vehicle for the transmission to all 
lands and all ages, of the divine thoughts of Him who 
spake as never man spake. 

As a divinely prepared mould, into which the gospel 
was to be cast when it should come fresh and glowing 
from the heart of God, it was providentially ordered that 
the Greek should be the language of the civilized world, 
at the time of the Savior's advent. The palmy days of 
Grecian civilization had already passed away. For gener- 
ations, no great philosopher, no mighty orator, no divine 
poet had spoken or sung in the peerless language of Plato, 
Demosthenes, and Homer. But Greek grammarians, rhet- 
oricians, orators and artists were scattered throughout the 
world, and their language was the dialect, not only of the 
learned, but also of the commercial classes, and that even 
in Palestine. It is even maintained by good scholars 
that Jesus himself spoke Greek. However this may be, 
this wide diffusion of Greek culture and the Grecian 
tongue was eminently favorable to the rapid spread of 
the gospel. And it is especially to be noted as tending 
to further that great result, that the Greeks themselves 
were growing weary of their own endless disputes and 
speculations. The Grecian intellect was at length satiated 
with mere aesthetic fancies and metaphysical subtleties, 
and was beginning to hunger for truth. 

The Romans, endowed with a genius as yet unrivalled 



POSTUKE OF THE HEATHEN NATIONS. 57 

for civil organization, legislation, and government, were 
also embraced in the grand providential scheme of prepa- 
ration for Christ's kingdom. The very existence of an 
empire stretching from the Euphrates to the German 
Ocean, and from the Danube and the Rhine to the cata- 
racts of the Nile, the African deserts, and Mount Atlas ; — 
an empire tolerating all religions compatible with civil 
order; bound together by one prevailing principle of 
conquest and organization, and everywhere traversed by 
great military roads, safe and practicable for the soldiers 
of the cross as well as for the iron-clad legionaries — such 
an empire was itself an element so favorable to the rapid 
diffusion of the gospel, that we can not but ascribe its exist- 
ence to the wise counsel and special providence of God. 

Thus it will be seen, that, while Christianity received 
its grand spiritual ideas, — all that pertained to its religious 
spirit and power, — from the Jewish intellect; and while 
to Greek culture was intrusted the task of preparing 
a fitting mould for the truth proclaimed by Christ; a 
work of no less importance was committed to the Roman 
mind. That she might fulfill her great mission in the 
world, Christianity had need, not only of just ideas and 
fitting language, but also of organic unity and strength. 
Hence, under the providence of God, it devolved upon 
Roman genius to settle the external order and secure the 
corporate existence of the church. 

But neither among the Greeks nor the Romans, any 
more than among the Asiatics, were there any germs of 
spiritual truth, which were deemed worthy of being trans- 
planted into the gospel of Christ. At the time of our 
Lord's advent, their religious and moral condition was 
deplorable in the extreme. The fearful picture drawn a 
few years later, by the Apostle Paul, was a portrait from 
actual life. Added to a sensuality more vile and abom- 
inable than it is lawful to describe, society was frozen into 



58 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

despair by atheistic fatalism. Among educated Komans 
of that period, the prevailing tone of feeling touching 
everything spiritual and divine, was one of gloomy scepti- 
cism. Their culture had far outgrown the popular religion. 
No man of sense pretended to believe in the gross my- 
thology which still served to amuse and enslave the vulgar. 
The best minds of the time had broken loose from the old 
moorings of superstition, and were afloat on a fathomless 
sea of doubt. 

Of the truth of this, the more thoughtful productions of 
Eoman writers afford abundant proof. One citation will 
suffice for our present purpose. No more melancholy 
words were ever written, than these of the elder Pliny : 
"All religion is the offspring of necessity, weakness, and 
fear. What God is, — if, indeed, He be anything distinct 
from the world, — it is beyond the compass of man's un- 
derstanding to know. But it is a foolish delusion which 
has sprung from human weakness, and human pride, to 
imagine that such an infinite spirit would concern him- 
self with the petty affairs of men. It is difficult to say, 
whether it might not be better to be wholly without 
religion, than to have one of this kind, which is a reproach 
to its object. The vanity of man, and his insatiable long- 
ing after existence, have led him to dream of a life after 
death. A being full of contradictions, he is the most 
wretched of creatures ; since the other creatures have no 
wants transcending the bounds of their nature. Man is 
full of desires and wants that reach to infinity, and can 
never be satisfied. His nature is a lie, uniting the greatest 
poverty with the greatest pride. Among these so great 
evils, the best thing which God has bestowed upon man, 
is the power to take his own life." * The closing portions 
of this passage reveal the secret of that terrible passion 

*Neander, Church History, Intro. 



POSTURE OF THE HEATHEN NATIONS. 59 

for suicide, which was a marked feature of Roman life 
during that period. The best men of the time had come 
to feel that there was so little left in the world of virtue 
and nobleness, so little ground for either faith or hope, that 
it was scarcely worth while to live. The world was, in 
fact, sick unto death, and even its prayer for relief was 
only the inarticulate groaning, or the frenzied shriek of 
despair. 



CHAPTER VI. 

PREPARATION FOR CHRIST'S COMING. 

EARLY DEGENERACY OF MANKIND, AND DIVINE EFFORTS TO PURIFY THE 
RACE — INSTITUTION OF THE MESSIANIC RACE AND LINEAGE — SPECIAL 
PREPARATION FOR THE MESSIAH AMONG THE JEWS — GENERAL CHAR- 
ACTER AND ADAPTATION OF THE DISCIPLINE OF THE HEBREW RACE 

A MONOTHEISTIC FAITH TO BE ESPECIALLY TAUGHT — ESPECIAL MEANS 
EMPLOYED TO ROOT IT IN THE JEWISH MIND — CONSISTENCY OF PRO- 
PHETIC REVELATION : NEANDER — THE WORLD'S GENERAL EXPECTATION 
OF SOME COMING BENEFACTOR — SPECIAL ANTICIPATION AMONG THE 
HEBREWS — GENERAL PEACE AMONG THE NATIONS — EXPECTANT POS- 
TURE OF THE SPIRITUAL WORLD. 

Inspired history discloses the fact that, subsequent to 
the fall, human nature rapidly deteriorated until it was 
found necessary to destroy the world, and commence the 
race anew in the family of Noah. This expedient was, 
however, attended by only temporary and partial success ; 
for another swift and sad degeneration, hardly less deplora- 
ble than the first, speedily followed. Again God made 
provision for the preservation and transmission of a higher 
type of humanity, not now by the destruction of every 
family but one, but by the selection of one particular 
family or line from all the rest, — that of the princely, the 
faithful, the righteous Abraham. 

This man, so rich in all human and all saintly attributes, 
without doubt the noblest of all the ancient world, was 
singled out from all men, and constituted by solemn cove- 
nant, the father of a new race, — a race, purer, stronger, 
and more susceptible to special inspiration than any 
other, — a race to be walled in from the degraded heathen 



PREPARATION FOR CHRIST'S COMING. 61 

world by peculiar laws, institutions, and rites, lest the 
chosen seed should be corrupted by base admixtures 
or become wholly lost among alien and heathen nations. 
The express import of the "covenant" made with Abraham 
was, that through him should be provided that " Seed " in 
whom all the nations of the earth should be blessed. He 
was set apart as the progenitor of the Messiah, by a great 
and solemn rite, by which paternity itself was consecrated 
in all his descendants. Many ages, however, must elapse 
before the appearance of a proper maternity through which 
the Son of God could make His entrance into the line of 
transmitted humanity. His human lineage stretched 
through four thousand years : during all that period His 
a body " — His manhood — was in process of preparation* 
So long did it take to prepare that " dry ground " out of 
which Jesus was to grow as a " tender plant." t 

From this original selection of the Hebrew race, it will 
be seen that, while civilization, — governments, laws, sci- 
ences and arts, — might come from the Gentile nations; 
religion, — revelation, spiritual worship, an atonement, and 
complete redemption, — must come of the chosen people ; — 
" salvation is of the Jews." $ Hence, the special prepara- 
tion for the Lord's coming, which the world was to witness, 
lay among this chosen people. It was precisely with this 
end in view, that they were kept for centuries so secluded 
from the Gentile world, and so immediately under the 
divine control and discipline. The direct intent in all this 
training, was the development in the nation of the proper 
religious character to secure the great ends of the divine 
plan. This character was the manifest result of a long- 
continued process of supernatural education; for the as- 
sumption which some have been disposed to accept, — that 
the Hebrew race was originally religious above all others, — 

*Heb., x. 5. flsa., liii. 2. % John iv. 22. 



62 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

is altogether unreasonable: there is no warrant for it 
whatever in history. 

This education of the Hebrew race for its high and 
peculiar mission is the constant theme of the Old Testa- 
ment Scriptures. It is there seen to have been shaped 
throughout by providential wisdom to the exact condition 
of the race. The life of nations is analogous to that of 
individuals: both have their successive stages of growth 
and degrees of maturity. The Hebrews, though a strong 
and heroic race, were yet in their infancy; and that in- 
fancy, while not without a certain docility and trustfulness 
which gave promise of future improvement, was still wild, 
sensual, wilful, passionate. Hence, the discipline appointed 
for them was adapted to just such a childhood. It was a 
discipline of stern, inexorable laic, supernaturally de- 
clared, and enforced by temporal punishments inflicted 
by the Divine Lawgiver himself, who came among them, 
almost from day to day, as a personal sovereign. 

A peculiar significance attaches to this constant per- 
sonal manifestation of Jehovah to the Hebrew mind. The 
great, the almost inevitable drift of mind under the sole 
guidance of nature, is towards a polytheistic faith. Poly- 
theism, in some form, may be said to be the natural re- 
ligion of all the simpler and more untutored races. But, 
from the ensnaring influence and control of this polythe- 
ism, — this manifold nature-worship, — it was, first of all, 
necessary that the chosen people of God should be ex- 
tricated. Monotheism was to become the natural and 
habitual posture of their minds : they must be brought 
to believe inflexibly in the grand truth so emphatically 
announced by their great human law-giver; "Hear, 
Israel : the Lord our God is one Lord." * 

" We do not realize how hard this was to acquire, be- 



*Deut. vi. 4. 



PREPARATION FOR CHRIST'S COMING. 63 

cause we have never had to acquire it; and, in reading 
the Old Testament, we look on the repeated idolatries of 
the chosen people as wilful backslidings from an element- 
ary truth within the reach of children, rather than as 
stumblings in learning a very difficult lesson, — difficult 
even for cultivated men. In reality, elementary truths 
are the hardest to learn, unless we pass our childhood in 
an atmosphere thoroughly impregnated with them ; and 
then we imbibe them unconsciously, and find it difficult 
to perceive their difficulty." * 

Now, there is no reason to believe that a faith in one 
living and true God, would ever have become deeply 
rooted in the Jewish mind, had it not been for the fre- 
quent miraculous manifestations of God to His people, in 
Egypt, at the Eed Sea, in the wilderness, during their in- 
troduction into the Promised Land, and at intervals during 
the long and checkered period of their subsequent history. 
Besides these, the law was a schoolmaster to bring them 
unto Christ. It revealed Jehovah as one, living, personal, 
holy sovereign ; it declared by many solemn utterances 
and impressive rites, the sinfulness of man and the neces- 
sity of an atoning sacrifice ; and it pointed by many sacred 
institutions and august ceremonies, — indeed by the entire 
constitution of that wonderful theocracy, to the coming 
Messiah. 

To all this was added the power of prophetic revelation. 
Of the force arid importance of this element, the words 
of Neander are strikingly suggestive. "All great events 
which have introduced a new development in human his- 
tory, have been preceded by conscious or unconscious 
prophecy. This may seem strange to such as ascribe to 
God the apathy of the stoics ; or to such as believe in a 
cold, iron necessity of an immanent Spirit of Nature. 

* Essays and Reviews, page 13. 



64 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

But to none who believe in a personal self-conscious 
Deity, — a God of eternal love, who is nigh unto every 
man, and listens willingly to the secret sighs of longing 
souls, can it appear unworthy of such a Being to respond 
to great world-historical epochs, by responding to such 
longings, in special revelations." * 

This remark holds good, in the highest degree, of that 
greatest epoch in human history, — the incarnation of the 
only begotten Son of God. During the ages preceding 
the birth of Christ, the whole human world was travailing 
in pain with one great hope, dim and half-unconscious in 
the earlier generations, but growing more definite and in- 
tense, as the time for its fulfillment approached. Whether 
we attribute its existence to traditions handed down from 
primeval generations, or to sporadic revelations sometimes 
vouchsafed to the Gentiles, or to the dispersion of the Jews, 
enlightened as they were, by the spirit of prophecy, or to 
the instinctive yearnings of natural religion in the human 
heart; we know that such a hope pervaded even the pagan 
world, long before the angelic song thrilled the awe-struck 
shepherds of Bethlehem. The noblest of all Greek minds, 
" the divine Plato," expressed in language which seems 
almost prophetic, the desire and expectation of an in- 
spired teacher, and the certainty of his rejection and 
ignominious death. We learn, also, not only from Jose- 
phus, but from two Eoman historians, Tacitus and Sueto- 
nius, that about the time of our Lord's advent a rumor 
was spread abroad over all the East, of the speedy coming 
of a great King who should reign over all the world. 
These yearnings of the pagan mind were what Neander 
calls unconscious prophecy. 

It was, however, in the Hebrew race, that the longings 
of humanity for a divine Redeemer were shaped by the 

*Neander's "Life of Christ," page 21. 



PREPARATION FOR CHRIST'S COMING. 65 

spirit of prophecy into definite and earnest expectation. 
From the hoary centuries, echoes of prophetic song reach 
our ears, — at first far-off and faint, but growing deep and 
clear, and many-voiced along the nearer sweep of the de- 
scending stream of the ages. Abraham sees the day of 
Christ and is glad. Moses, from the cloud and flame of 
Sinai, stretches forth his hand to point the chosen people 
to the coming world-prophet. David sweeps his wondrous 
harp with a bolder hand, as he sings of the coming King 
who shall have dominion from sea to sea, so long as the 
moon endureth. At length, "the bard of bards," the 
sublime Isaiah, takes up the strain. When the lark, from 
her lowly nest in the meadow, descries the first pale ray of 
dawn in the heavens, she springs upward above the moun- 
tain summits into the kindling azure, and there, under the 
edge of some rosy cloud, 

" Singing, singing, 
The clouds and the sky about her ringing," 

welcomes the sun, and with the morning star is co-herald 
of the day : so this wondrous seer soared above the shadows 
of earth and caught bright glimpses of the rising sun of 
righteousness. Hark ! clear, solemn, exultant is his song : 
" Unto us a child is born ; unto us a Son is given ; and 
the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name 
shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, 
the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." # Later 
prophets, — Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Haggai, Zechariah, 
Malachi, — take up the same great strain, with varied and 
unequal, yet divine melody. Thus we may think of the 
approach of the Deliverer, as of the progress of some 
mighty prince, the liberator of an oppressed nation, pro- 
claimed by watchmen on the mountain heights, who 
successively catch and transmit the flying joy, till a con- 

* Isaiah ix. 6. 



66 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

tinent is blazing with bonfires and shaken by acclamations. 
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of Him 
that bringeth good tidings; that publisheth peace; that 
bringeth good tidings of good; that publisheth salvation." * 

As the mighty work of preparation advanced to its 
consummation, the world was agitated with presentiments 
of vast, mysterious changes approaching. Externally, 
however, the world was quiet: the nations lay without a 
struggle in the iron embrace of the great Eoman despo- 
tism. So successfully had Augustus wielded the tremen- 
dous forces of the empire, that the temple of Janus was 
shut for twelve years, — a fact of great significance in its 
relation to the advent of the Prince of Peace. 

In the meantime, the spiritual world was not indifferent 
to the near approach of this great event, so pre-eminent 
in the history, not of the earth alone, but also of the whole 
universe. It is clear from many allusions in the Scriptures, 
that fallen spirits were watching with trembling concern 
for the manifestation of the "Seed of the woman" of whom 
it had been foretold that he should bruise the head of the 
serpent; and that, about this time, they made a mighty 
effort to gain entire possession of the bodies and the souls 
of men. Multitudes of demoniacs appear to have wandered 
over the earth, and especially over the Holy Land, and 
infernal signs and wonders everywhere astonished and de- 
luded the people. On the other hand, heaven was full of 
joyous expectation. The eyes of an innumerable com- 
pany of angels were turned toward the earth, watching 
the progress of these august events, and looking for the 
birth of Him who was to reign supreme over all their re- 
splendent hosts. Thus, « the fulness of the time " had come, 
— heaven and earth were waiting — all things were ready. 

* Isaiah 111. 7. 



PART II 



The Birth and Early Life 
of Jesus. 



CHAPTER I. 

THE VIRGIN MOTHER, 

THE MOTHER OF JESUS — HER CHARACTER — NECESSARY REVERENCE FOR 
THE CHARACTER OF MARY — IDEA THAT SHE WAS A MERE ORDINARY 
WOMAN, UNREASONABLE — CORRECT VIEW OF HER SINLESSNESS, AS OP- 
POSED TO THE DOGMA OF THE "IMMACULATE CONCEPTION" — MARY 
THE CONSUMMATE FLOWER OF WOMANHOOD — ALLEGORICAL ILLUSTRA- 
TION OF HER RELATIONS TO THE DIVINE AND THE HUMAN AS FOUND 
IN JESUS — PRACTICAL APPLICATION SUGGESTED. 

The mother of Jesus was a virgin of Nazareth, in Galilee. 
Though of lowly condition, she was of David's line. Of 
her previous history, nothing is known except that she 
had been espoused to Joseph, a carpenter, who was him- 
self of royal descent. Mary was living a secluded and 
peaceful life, the purest, meekest, holiest of all the daugh- 
ters of earth. Though her nature, being human nature, was 
defiled, she was prepared by special sanctifying grace, for 
the transcendent honor to which she was elected, that of 
maternity to the incarnate Word. " Her employment was 
holy and pious, her person young, her years florid and 
springing, her mind humble and a rare repository of divine 
graces." * 

A true faith in the incarnation, and reverence for (i God 
manifest in the flesh," can not but engender a profound 
love and veneration for the Virgin Mother. We can not 
in the same breath pronounce Jesus sinless and divine, 
and speak of Mary as we do of other women. That she 



Jeremy Taylor 



70 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

was chosen to an office and an honor so absolutely unique 
as that of maternity to the " only begotten Son of God," 
implies a purity, and a fulness of grace in her, which 
exalts her far above all the daughters of Eve. That 
flesh, of which the body of the "■ Holy One " was moulded, 
must have been supernaturally prepared and sanctified : 
it was immaculate, not in any Romish sense, but by the 
plenary indwelling of the Holy Ghost. 

There are those who hold that Mary was a woman of 
ordinary human frailty and imperfection, not more enti- 
tled to veneration than other pious persons of her sex; 
and who, perhaps, will shrink with horror from the lan- 
guage just employed. But surely, they can have no proper 
conception of the Incarnation; they can not have deeply 
pondered the mystery that Mary's child was, by an inef- 
fable generation, the Son of the Highest; and that she 
nourished and nurtured the God-Man. It can not be that 
we err in the belief that such a relation to God and re- 
demption, implies a degree of sanctity in Mary to which 
no other woman ever attained. 

The Komish dogma of the "Immaculate Conception," 
which will, doubtless, occur to the reader, is only an ex- 
travagant exaggeration of a great truth which we feel, 
even while we confess our inability to define it in logical 
terms. We may well hesitate to say that the Virgin 
Mother was free from all taint of original sin ; but we can 
not bring ourselves to assert, on the other hand, that she 
was a sinner. She was in such sense sinless, that no taint 
of corruption was or could be transmitted by her to her 
offspring, — that "Holy Thing" which was born of her. 
It seems necessary to admit that she was the perfect flower 
of womanhood ; the beautiful, crowning result of that de- 
velopment of the chosen seed which took place under 
age-long, divine culture. 

They say there is a plant, which, at the end of a hun- 



THE VIRGIN MOTHER. 71 

dred years, produces a surpassingly lovely flower, and 
never blooms again. I was about to say — God forgive 
my unthinking rashness, — that such a flower was the man 
Christ Jesus. But we must not think of humanity as 
putting forth, by its own inherent virtue, such wisdom, 
such purity, such beauty of holiness. Let us rather think 
of Christ as springing up, in the course of a true historical 
development, but a development, determined and carried 
on by a supernatural training ; and, at last, by a stupen- 
dous miracle, heightened into a positive though incom- 
prehensible union of the human with the Divine. The 
consummation of this training of humanity, and the 
manifestation of this union of humanity with the Divine 
must be found in the Virgin Mother. 

The thought may, perhaps, be better represented by an 
allegory than by any formal statement. Let us take the 
following as adapted to our purpose: Among the plants 
that grew in the garden of Eden, was one so wondrous 
fair that the angels came flying in troops to gaze at it. 
Its fragrance filled all the garden, and made the winds 
faint with pleasure. Once on a time, a foul demon stole 
into the garden and breathed upon the plant, and its 
beauty withered, and its fragrance was changed to poison- 
ous exhalations. Then the decree went forth that it 
should no longer grow in Eden's soil; and the angels, by 
permission, transplanted it to the lower world and affec- 
tionately tended it there; for they remembered what it 
had once been. But it was sickly and drooping; and, 
though it could not utterly die, year after year, age after 
age elapsed, and it put forth neither flowers nor fruit, 
but was covered with thorns and unsightly excrescences. 
But the angels never grew weary ; for they had been cer- 
tified that, in the fulness of time, it should put forth a 
flower more sweet and beautiful than it had borne in 
Paradise. So they pruned it, and dug around its roots. 



72 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

and watered it with dews brought from its native Eden. 
After some ages it began to show signs of increasing vi- 
tality; its leaves were greener, and, among them were 
sometimes found sweet flower-buds, which, however, drop- 
ped off without unfolding. Thus the ages wore on, and 
the plant grew into a stately and vigorous tree. Yet, at 
the end of four thousand years no blossom appeared 
on its branches; and the angels whispered sadly, one to 
another: "How long?" But the time had come. In 
heaven, close to the throne of God, grows the amaranth, — 
immortal tree, drawing its life from Him who sitteth upon 
the throne. And now there was a wonder in heaven. 
Forth from the throne there came a Dove, — how white 
and pure words can not tell, — and plucked a bud from the 
amaranth, and bore it to the earth. Standing around 
their beloved tree, the angels saw the Dove hovering 
over it. Selecting the fairest bough — the bough nearest 
heaven, — the Dove drew close, and by some unknown, 
wondrous art, fastened the bud upon it, and disappeared. 
And, lo ! the bud grew to the tree, and even while they 
gazed, burst forth into such miraculous bloom that all 
heaven came trooping to behold its wondrous loveliness. 
And as they stood around it in jubilant armies and won- 
dered and adored, God himself looked down well pleased 
on the plant Humanity, and loved it for the sake of the 
flower that grew upon it, which the angels called Jesus. 
Looking, now, at the Virgin Mother as holding, in the 
sublime scheme of redemption, so peculiar a relation to 
both the divine and human, we can not but feel that she 
was singularly blessed among women, and worthy to be 
held, throughout all time, in profound love and reverence. 
In her was found the only perfect womanhood. In her 
maternity was glorified. Through the divine favor, she 
brought upon mankind salvation and blessing. May we 
not believe that in it all, she was empowered to teach men 



THE VIRGIN MOTHER. 73 

through all time, truths pertaining to womanhood, at once 
touching and profound ? 

And this we say with deep and solemn earnestness. 
For we can not see how, with any just conception of 
womanhood as sublimed and honored in the Mother of 
Jesus, it can appear other than most astonishing and pain- 
ful that woman, with the gospel in her hands, can, for the 
sake pf mere fashion and frivolity, or under the base spur 
of an unsexed ambition, turn aside from the serene and 
noble example of Mary's domestic simplicity and purity, 
matronly dignity and fidelity, and feel neither the obliga- 
tion nor the desire to emulate it. Nor can we see how, 
with the light of Mary's worth and loveliness reflected 
upon the sex, society can justify itself in withholding from 
woman any means of culture, which it puts within reach 
of man ; or how it can screen itself from the charge of 
inhumanity in neglecting, upon any pretense whatever, 
to protect her life and her virtue against the oppressive 
exactions of the avaricious, and the seductive arts of the 
profligate. 

The character and mission of the Virgin Mother can 
not but awaken a profound conviction of the unmitigated 
baseness of those arts which are employed to ensnare and 
debase a nature in itself so lovely, and once so wonderfully 
owned of God, as capable and worthy of being made the 
fit maternal mould of the humanity of His Divine Son. 
Under a thoughtful consideration of the purity and glory 
which the sex attained in her, it surely can not be possible 
for a man of woman born, to view with other than feelings 
of horror, all that sensuality and vice in the community, 
which are daily dragging clown multitudes of Mary's 
younger sisters, to depths of pollution and infamy, from 
the contemplation of which the mind starts back with 
loathing and horror. 



CHAPTER II. 
THE BIRTH AND RECOGNITION OF JESUS. 

THE ANNUNCIATION TO MARY — HER SEEMING DOUBT — MARY'S JO&RNEY 
TO SEE ELIZABETH — MEETING OF THE TWO WOMEN — MARY'S RETURN, 
AND JOSEPH'S DOUBTS — DIVINE VINDICATION OF THE VIRGIN — THE 

TAXING UNDER AUGUSTUS JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM, AND BIRTH OF 

CHRIST — FITNESS OF THE FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT OF CHRIST'S BIRTH 
TO THE SHEPHERDS — THE SHEPHERDS' VISIT TO BETHLEHEM, AND 
DISCOVERY OF JESUS — CIRCUMCISION OF JESUS, AND HIS PRESENTA- 
TION IN THE TEMPLE — RECOGNITION OF JESUS BY SIMEON — PROPHETIC 
WORDS OF SIMEON TO MARY — RECOGNITION BY THE PROPHETESS ANNA. 

Near the end of the reign of Herod the Great, the 
angel Gabriel was sent to Mary with a divine message. 
He saluted her thus ; " Hail, thou that art highly favored ; 
the Lord is with thee : blessed art thou among women ! " * 
Mary was startled and troubled by this appearance and 
unexpected address of a celestial messenger. But the 
angel calmed her perturbation, saying ; " Fear not, Mary ; 
for thou hast found favor with God. And behold thou 
shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son ; and 
thou shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be great, and 
shall be called the Son of the Highest ; and the Lord God 
shall give unto Him the throne of His father David ; and 
He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever ; and of 
His kingdom there shall be no end." f 

This announcement awoke in Mary's mind, what might 
at first be taken for a doubt. But her question ; « How 
shall this be?" was not suggested by unbelief like that 
of Zacharias,1: or Sarah, § but by a childlike innocence 



Luke i. 28. fLuke i. 30-33. JLuke i. 18. §Gen. xviii. 12. 



BIRTH AND RECOGNITION OF JESUS. 75 

that sought to realize to itself, in the very face of seem- 
ing impossibilities, the full assurance of its own blessed- 
ness* Instead of a rebuke, therefore, the angel was 
permitted to give her this explicit answer : — " The Holy 
Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest 
shall overshadow thee ; therefore, also, that Holy Thing 
which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of 
God." — "And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the 
Lord; be it unto me according to thy word."f And it 
was unto her, according to the word of the angel. 

Conscious of the ineffable miracle wrought upon her 
by the creative power of God, and longing perhaps for 
sympathy such as she could not find at Nazareth, Mary 
arose and went with haste to a city of the priests, — 
probably Juttah, in the hill country of Judea, — where 
dwelt her aged cousin Elizabeth, the wife of Zacharias. 
The journey, — not less than one hundred miles, — was, for 
a maiden, long and toilsome, if not dangerous. She, how- 
ever, probably traveled under adequate protection, and 
was doubtless sustained by a serene confidence in God. 
Besides, she was moved by an eager desire to commune 
with Elizabeth, who was herself, — as Mary had been told 
by the angel, — the subject of a supernatural influence 
which had renewed her youth, and made her capable of a 
late but glorious maternity. 

The meeting .of these two women was touching and 
memorable. They were conscious of divine mysteries 
which were hidden from all the world beside. What won- 
der that, exalted as they were by this consciousness, and 
speaking as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, their 
joy broke forth in inspired canticles which have passed 
into the heart and the worship of the universal church? 
And if such was their joy upon their first meeting, what 

*Ellicott , s Life of Christ, page 59. -fLvka i. 35, 38. 



76 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

seasons of sweetest interchange of thought and feeling, 
and of fervent communion with the Highest, must have 
marked the three months thus passed by Mary with Eliz- 
abeth ! 

Keturning, at length, to Nazareth, the blessed Virgin 
encountered her first great trial, of the certain approach 
of which she had been, as it would seem, wholly oblivious. 
Joseph, her espoused husband, was eminently just and 
conscientious, and not at all predisposed to uncharitable 
suspicion. But a fact was now forced upon his notice, 
which shocked his moral sense, and disturbed all his pre- 
vious impressions of her character. That he suffered in- 
tensely we cannot doubt ; and the resolution to which he 
came, after painful deliberation, was not unworthy of the 
man. He shrank from bringing Mary to open shame, and 
therefore determined to put her away privately without 
assigning any cause. 

Mary left her vindication to God, who communicated 
to Joseph, in a dream, the immaculate purity and trans- 
cendent glory of his espoused wife. The fact is highly 
suggestive, that, while God communicated with the Vir- 
gin through the direct agency of a heavenly messenger, 
in the case of Joseph the revelation is made by means 
of a dream at night* Joseph, however, heeded the 
heavenly intimation thus given, and took the Virgin at 
once under his immediate protection. 

Our history here suddenly opens a vista into the great 
world. It gives us a glimpse of that most consummate 
statesman and politician of ancient times, the Emperor 
Augustus. Appreciating above all others the value of 
accurate statistics, he often ordered the census of particu- 
lar provinces, and three times, at least, that of the whole 
Empire. The particular census recorded by the evan- 



Ellicott's " Life of Christ," page 65, 




PS / 
w 

w 

H 
W 
H 



____^__ J __. 



BIRTH AND RECOGNITION OF JESUS. 77 

gelist Luke, though not mentioned by Eoman historians, 
is in itself highly probable, from the known policy of 
Augustus, and from the political relations of the King- 
dom of Judea to the Empire. During the first adminis- 
tration of Cyrenius, or Quirinus, as Governor of Syria,* 
the Emperor ordered a general census of the countries 
under his rule, partly to obtain correct statistics, and partly 
to prepare the way for general and systematic taxation. 
As Judea was then, though nominally independent, really 
a dependency of the Empire ; and as Augustus probably 
already meditated reducing it to the condition of a prov- 
ince, he required King Herod to take its census. This 
was, of course, done according to Jewish usage, — that is 
to say, by tribes and families. 

In accordance with the decree of Augustus, Joseph and 
Mary, being of the house of David, repaired to Bethle- 
hem, the original seat of the house. Finding the inn, or 
caravansera, overflowing with people who had come there 
on the same errand, they took up their temporary abode 
in a stable, said to have been a grotto hewn from the 
rock. There was born, about four years before our era, — 
in what month and on what day is unknown, — the Won- 
drous Child in whom the whole world was new-born. 
That event, — the greatest of all history, — was unnoticed 
by the world. In the palaces of kings, in the cabinets of 
statesmen, in the camps of warriors, none dreamed that 
old things were passed away, and all things were become 
new. Only in the world of superhuman intelligences, 
was there a vivid consciousness of the grandeur of the 
event. 

Leaving the child Jesus in the manger in which He was 
laid, let us go, in imagination, to the neighboring fields, — 

*It is now well-nigh demonstrated, that Cyrenius was twice governor of 
Syria, and that the taxing took place during his first term. — Andrews" 
"Life of our Lord" page 6. 



78 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

possibly in the fruitful plain below — probably on the 
green, rolling hills beyond,* — where certain shepherds 
are watching then flocks. It is night, and we can not 
but picture to ourselves the terraced hill-sides, gray with 
olive orchards and with outcropping rocks, as softened 
and beautified by the moonlight. All nature sleeps, pure 
and peaceful, under the holy heavens. On a green mound 
sits a company of shepherds, devout and godly men, re- 
hearsing, it may be, some of those psalms of David which 
were composed so long ago on these very hill-sides, and 
in the valley below; or, perhaps, talking together con- 
cerning the Kingdom of God, and the consolation of 
Israel. They are worthy successors of that youthful 
shepherd who, perhaps, on such a night as this, looked up 
from this very spot, to the same resplendent sky, and sang 
to his wondrous harp: "When I consider Thy heavens, 
the work of Thy fingers; the moon and the stars which 
Thou hast ordained; what is man that Thou art mindful 
of him ? and the son of man that Thou visitest him ? " f 

It was fitting that the glad tidings from heaven, of a 
Saviour born, should be first proclaimed, not to the ceremo- 
nial Pharisee, who would have questioned it; not to the 
worldly, scofiing Sadducee, who would have reviled it; 
not to the mystic schismatical Essene, who would have 
perverted it, but to these simple shepherds, these holy 
watchers, whose devout and susceptible hearts would at 
once recognize the communication as from God, and re- 
ceive it with holy joy. t 

And so, in the grace of God, they were privileged above 
not only these, but above even the "Sweet Singer of 

* Tradition locates the scene in the valley, about a mile out of Bethlehem ; 
but recent travelers incline to the latter view taken in the text. — Smith's 
Bible Dictionary, in loco. See also Stanley. 

f Psalm viii. 3, 4. 

% Ellicott's "Life of Christ," page 72 



BIRTH AND RECOGNITION OF JESUS. 79 

Israel;" for, as they tended their flocks, "Lo, the angel of 
the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord 
shone round about them ; and they were sore afraid. And 
the angel said unto them : Fear not ; for behold I bring you 
good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For 
unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, 
which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto 
you : Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, 
lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the 
angels a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and 
saying: Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth, peace, 
good will toward men."* 

The angelic song having ceased, the charmed and won- 
dering listeners hasten to Bethlehem, and find the heav- 
enly vision fulfilled : the Babe lies before them in a manger. 
With what acts of adoration they approached that holy 
presence ; in what words they expressed their wonder and 
joy, the record tells us not. That they worshiped their 
new-born King, we can not doubt. We would fain, with 
them, enter that lowly shed where the Virgin Mother 
watches over her Child. But we dare not, like Eoman 
Catholic writers, lift the veil, which inspired history has 
drawn around that Holy Family. The hallowed seclusion 
of the Saviour's infancy was ordained by God himself, and 
must not be violated by even a devout imagination. 

One fact, however, is recorded, which is of great impor- 
tance. It is that in accordance with the law Jesus was 
circumcised the eighth day; for he "was a minister of the 
circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises 
made unto the fathers."! The law required, also, that 
the Jewish mother, when her infant was forty days old, 
should present herself in the temple and offer sacrifices 
for her purification, and for the redemption of her first- 

*Luke ii. 9-14. fRom. xv. 8. 



80 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 






born. Mary and Joseph had no dispensation from the 
letter of the law, — Jesus from his birth must fulfill all 
righteousness. Hence, the Holy Family went, at the 
prescribed time, to Jerusalem. 

And now the "Desire of all nations comes to His tem- 
ple ; " lying a helpless infant in his mother's arms, He is 
unrecognized except by two devout persons, who were 
supernaturally enlightened to discern in that Infant the 
long-expected Messiah. The aged and inspired Simeon, 
to whom it had been revealed that he should not die till 
he had seen the Lord's Christ, coming into the temple 
while Mary was there, and seeing the Babe, knew that 
his hopes were fulfilled. Taking the infant Jesus with 
the utmost tenderness in his arms, he blessed God, and 
said : " Lord, now lettest Thou thy servant depart in peace ; 
for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which Thou hast 
prepared before the face of all people ; a light to lighten 
the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel." * These 
words, which have been called the "swan song of the Old 
Covenant," express a conception of the Messiah and His 
kingdom so much in advance of the common Jewish idea, 
that even Joseph and Mary were filled with wonder. 

Perceiving their surprise, Simeon turned to them and 
blessed them. He addressed the Virgin Mother especially, 
in prophetic words which must have sounded in her heart 
many years afterwards, when she followed her Divine Son 
to Calvary, scarcely a thousand paces from the spot where 
she then stood : — " Behold this Child is set for the fall and 
rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall 
be spoken against, (yea, a sword shall pierce through thy 
own soul also ;) that the thoughts of many hearts may be 
revealed." t 

As if God would specially include both sexes in the 

* Luke ii. 29-32. f Luke ii. 34, 35^ 



BIKTH AND RECOGNITION OF JESUS. 81 

same honor and blessedness, while Simeon was yet speak- 
ing, an aged prophetess, named Anna, came in to the tem- 
ple. Distinguished by her purity of life, and the severity 
as well as the devoutness of her services in the house 
of the Lord, the blessed gift of spiritual perception was 
bestowed on her also. Recognizing the Messiah in the 
Child Jesus, she broke out in thanksgiving to God, and 
with devout and holy words " spake of Him to all them 
that looked for redemption in Jerusalem." 

Having thus, in every particular, fulfilled the law, the 
Holy Family returned to Bethlehem. 



CHAPTER III. 
JESUS, THE WOKD INCARNATE. 

THE TRUE HUMANITY OF JESUS — HIS HUMAN LINEAGE AND ATTRIBUTES — 

HIS DIVINE SONSHIP — THE GOD-MAN STRAUSS' PANTHEISTIC DOCTRINE 

OF THE INCARNATION OF GOD IN COLLECTIVE HUMANITY RATIONAL- 
ISM SELF-REFUTED AND SILENCED — NECESSITY OF THE INCARNATION. 

Let us, in this place, meditate a little while on the 
divine child whose birth at Bethlehem we have pro- 
nounced the grandest event in the annals of time. 

Who was the wondrous person whose birth was thus 
heralded and announced by angels ? He is presented to 
our view, in the sacred history, as a man. He comes into 
the world by natural birth ; His infancy is weak and help- 
less, like that of other men; He is subject to the laws of 
human development; He is liable to hunger and thirst, 
infirmity and pain ; even to mental limitation and suffer- 
ing, though not to sin. His manhood therefore was real 
and no illusion. Yet what a chasm between Him and all 
other men ! He was indeed descended from Adam ; He 
was the seed of Abraham, and the heir of David ; but 
there was a divine element in His lineage which, made 
Him the root as well as the offspring of David ; the Lord 
as well as the child of Abraham ; the Son of God as well 
as the Son of Adam. His humanity was truly moulded in 
the womb of Mary; He took flesh of her flesh ; but "His 
generation who shall declare?" This we know, that He 
was incarnate by the power of the Holy Ghost; that 



JESUS, THE WORD INCARNATE. 83 



He was the Word made flesh ; that He was God become 
man. Let us not think of Him as a man created by 
divine power and then taken into intimate union with 
God — not as God and a man morally united — but as 
God-man. The Infant of Bethlehem was " God of God, 
Light of Light." That tiny form entemples all the full- 
ness of the Godhead ; it is the true holy of holies wherein 
God personally dwells and will dwell henceforth, even 
forever. There is the Weil-Spring of life for a dead 
world ; there is the Light of men, the Sun of truth and 
wisdom ; there is the image of the invisible God, and the 
brightness of His glory ; there is the Lord God our Re- 
deemer, the Holy One of Israel, the Saviour ! Yes, — we 
adore Thee, Son of the Virgin, Son of God! Seeing 
Thee we see the Father ! We worship Thee, in whom 
God is become man and man is taken into God ! 

Does such a union of the infinite and the finite, of the 
eternal and the temporal, of the divine and the human, 
seem incomprehensible ? It is incomprehensible ; the 
Scriptures declare that it is the u great mystery of godli- 
ness." We can not hope to understand it, in any scientific 
sense, even in eternity. It is to be apprehended by faith 
alone ; for " spiritual things are spiritually discerned." 
Nevertheless, there is a mystery equally impenetrable in 
all the workings of the creative Word. The recent as- 
sailants of Christianity assert the same relation between 
God and the race which believers assert between the di- 
vine and human in the person of Christ. Take the fol- 
lowing illustrative extract from an essay by Strauss, 
author of the notorious a Life of Jesus," — " In the idea 
of the race, the properties and functions which the church 
doctrine ascribes to Christ agree. Humanity is the union 
of the two natures, — the incarnate God, the Infinite ex- 
ternalizing itself in the finite, and the finite spirit remem- 
bering its infinitude. It is the Child of the visible mother 



84. THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

and the invisible father, Nature and Spirit; it is the 
worker of miracles, in so far as in the course of human 
history the spirit more and more completely subjugates 
nature both within and around man, until it lies before 
him as an inert matter of his activity; it is the sinless 
existence, for the course of its development is a blameless 
one: pollution cleaves to the individual only, and does 
not touch the race or its history." Those who thus rea- 
son are estopped from objecting against the incarnation. 
Pantheism, in this case, has refuted itself and muzzled its 
own blaspheming mouth. Those who assert that every 
man, even the most depraved, is God manifest in the flesh, 
might, one would think, easily concede the eternal divinity 
of Jesus Christ. In fact, however, reason can not deal 
with problems of this kind. 

The necessity of the incarnation can be understood by 
all. If the moral renovation of mankind could only be 
effected by the clear revelation of a personal God — the 
revelation of essential Love ; if the redemption of hu- 
manity could only proceed from a new creation — a new 
birth — of human nature, in a second Adam, the father of 
a regenerate race ; if fallen man could not even conceive, 
much less realize, perfect human excellence, except by 
the life and death of a sinless man; if the human con- 
science, burdened with sin, could only find peace in an 
infinite vicarious sacrifice ; if communion between God 
and man could only be restored by a Mediator; — then 
was it necessary that the eternal Son of God should dwell 
on earth in human flesh. 



CHAPTEK IV. 
THE MISSION OF THE "WISE MEN FROM THE EAST." 

HEROD THE GREAT — HIS CHARACTER — THE PROBABILITY AS TO HIS RE- 
CEPTION OF THE NEWS OF CHRIST'S ADVENT — THE "WISE MEN FROM 

THE EAST" — MESSIANIC IDEAS PROBABLY CURRENT IN THE EAST 

SEARCH OF THE "WISE MEN" FOR JESUS — HERODS ARTFUL INQUIRY 

AND INSTRUCTIONS THE "WISE MEN " AT BETHLEHEM — THEIR SECRET 

DEPARTURE, AND THE CONSEQUENT FURY OF HEROD — THE SLAUGHTER 
OF THE INNOCENTS — DIVINE RETRIBUTIVE VISITATION OF HEROD — THE 
FLIGHT INTO EGYPT — RETURN OF THE HOLY FAMILY TO PALESTINE — 
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FACT OF THIS GENTILE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE 
SAVIOUR'S ADVENT — INACTIVITY OF THE JEWS EXPLAINED — RELATION 
OF THESE FACTS TO THE FUTURE OF THE GENTILE NATIONS. 

Herod the Great, king of Judea, fills a wide space in 
the history of the East, during the half-century preceding 
the birth of Jesus. Though of Idumean blood, he was a 
native of the country, and at least affected to be of the 
Jewish religion. The Idumeans, indeed, had been com- 
pelled to submit to circumcision several generations before, 
and were now hardly distinguishable from the Jews with 
whom they were largely amalgamated. Antipater, Herod's 
father, had been a sort of mayor of the palace to Hyr- 
canus II., the last of the illustrious line of Asmonean 
princes. He was one of the most astute politicians of his 
time, and was, besides, a brave and skilful soldier. Under 
Julius Csesar, he was procurator of Syria, and thus laid the 
foundation for the glory of his house. His son, Herod, 
after many conflicts and perils, gained the crown while he 
was yet a young man, and kept possession of it till his 
death, reigning about forty years. He was undoubtedly 



86 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

a man of splendid genius, — brave, eloquent, sagacious, 
accomplished, and by no means deficient in statesmanship. 
Neither was he indifferent to the well-being of his king- 
dom, which, notwithstanding his tyranny, teemed with 
population, and enjoyed extraordinary agricultural and 
commercial prosperity. History portrays him as generous 
and affectionate, yet suspicious and cruel; as passionately 
attached to his friends, yet capricious and faithless; 
as impetuous and headlong, yet hypocritical and crafty. 
He obtained the crown by adulation and bribery of the 
Eomans, and, notwithstanding his successful administra- 
tion, he drew upon himself by a series of unnatural and 
unparalleled crimes, the abhorrence of his subjects, and 
of the world. These crimes all sprang from a morbid 
suspicion and jealousy which bordered on insanity. He 
barbarously murdered his brother-in-law, Aristobulus, (a 
noble youth of seventeen, whom he himself had raised to 
the high priesthood,) because he was a favorite of the 
people. He put to death his own brother, Joseph, because 
he suspected him, without reason, of undue familiarity 
with his wife. He slew Hyrcanus, his father-in-law and 
former sovereign, after he had decoyed him from a distant 
country to Jerusalem. He even sacrificed Mariamne, his 
beautiful queen, under the instigation of a furious and 
insane jealousy which was deaf to justice and common 
sense. It is recorded that after her death he was seized 
by a remorse that seemed supernatural. He continually 
called upon her name, and for a long time abode in the 
desert. He murdered his three sons, Alexander, Aristo- 
bulus, and Antipater, when he himself was in the agonies 
of a horrible death. Conscious that he was held in uni- 
versal detestation, and that his death would be the signal 
for national rejoicing, he summoned the noblest of the 
Jews to Jericho, where he lay dying, and gave strict 
orders that at the moment of his decease, they should all 






THE MISSION OF THE WISE MEX. 87 

be slaughtered. "This," said he, "will provide for my 
funeral all over the land, and make every family in the 
kingdom lament my death/' 

This gloomy, suspicious, and cruel tyrant reigned in 
Judea when our Lord was born. He was now seventy 
years old, a prey to disease, suspicion, and all those 
malignant passions which his hot Edomite blood, and 
unrestrained indulgence from his youth, had made un- 
governable as a savage or a wild beast. Picture him in 
his splendid palace at Jerusalem, haunted by the ghosts 
of his murdered victims, distrusting his subjects, afraid of 
insurrection and revolution, perhaps of assassination, and 
dreading above all, an outbreak of the long suppressed 
Jewish fanaticism touching the Messiah, whose advent 
was now daily expected. This expectation was not con- 
fined to the Jews alone, but was shared by certain Gentile 
sages in the distant East. 

This story of the Wise Men is wonderfully interesting 
and beautiful. They are said to have come from "the 
East." The phrase is vague and seems to invite conjec- 
ture. The most probable opinion is that the country in- 
tended is the great valley of the Euphrates. Among the 
Chaldeans the Magi constituted a sacred caste 01 order, 
held in the highest estimation, and endowed with great 
wealth and peculiar privileges. They are not to be con- 
founded with the magicians of later ages, so infamous for 
their vices and lying wonders. They seem to have been 
highly educated, and to have exercised their functions 
with a conscientious regard to the principles of the occult 
sciences which they professed. When Nebuchadnezzar 
demanded of them a proof of supernatural knowledge, 
they made no attempt to satisfy him with a trick, but 
honestly confessed their ignorance. When Daniel was 
made their president, it does not appear that he found his 
connection with them a cause of embarrassment or trouble. 



88 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

If, as there is reason to believe, the majority of this order 
were Medes and Persians, they were not idolaters, but 
monotheists, predisposed to accept the leading principles 
of Judaism. We know that afterwards, when the king- 
dom passed to the Medes and Persians, the Jews found in 
Cyrus their friend and patron. It is probable that the 
prophecies of Daniel were known to the Magi, or Wise 
Men, with whom he was so long associated, and by them 
the leading ideas of those prophecies were transmitted to 
their successors. It is not unlikely that the Persian doc- 
trine concerning a Zoziosh, or Saviour, who should raise 
the dead and judge the world, had its origin in the 
prophecy of Daniel. It may even be true that the cele- 
brated Zoroaster lived at that time ; but whether earlier 
or later, he must have come in contact with Jews. He 
may have conversed with Ezra or Nehemiah or Ezekiel. 
Perhaps he had read the law and the prophets. This we 
know, — that the Eastern Magi for generations expected a 
Saviour — a great King, who should rule all nations. The 
Wise Men of our history had probably been taught to look 
for this event, since there is every reason to believe that 
the order had maintained a corporate existence down to 
the time of Christ. 

Let us then picture to ourselves these Wise Men, not 
as strolling soothsayers and magicians, but as devout wor- 
shipers of the one living and true God. They were en- 
tangled in great errors; but their faith was sincere, and 
God regarded them with special favor. We are compelled 
to believe that, Gentiles as they were, and adherents to 
a religion opposed in many of its doctrines to the truth 
as revealed to the chosen people, they were just and good 
men and under the special guidance of the Holy Spirit. 
How else shall we account for their longing and watching 
for the coming of Christ? What was the origin of their 
faith that He was to be born in Judea, and to be King of 



THE MISSION OF THE WISE MEN. 89 

the Jews ? They may have read the prophecies of Isaiah 
and Daniel, or conversed with devout Jews in Persia; for 
the Jews swarmed through all the East, making proselytes 
even of kings and queens; but their unwavering faith 
must have come from above. It was a faith that waited 
and watched for the promised Messiah. 

The Magi were sincere believers in astrology. They 
saw, or thought they saw, in the configurations of the 
starry heavens the signs of great events about to take 
place on the earth. In this belief all the foremost minds 
of the ancient world, including Julius Csesar, participated. 
Even in modern and Christian times, many men of great 
intelligence and undoubted piety, have looked to the stars 
for indications of the future. The progress of reason has 
exploded this science falsely so called ; but let us not 
imagine that all those who anciently had confidence in it 
were by that fact excluded from the special favor and 
spiritual illumination of that God who condescends to hu- 
man weakness and error. In the language of another, 
" God condescends to the platforms of men in training 
them for belief in the Kedeemer, and meets the aspira- 
tions of the truth-seeking soul even in its error. In the 
case of the Wise Men, a real truth, perhaps, lay at the 
bottom of the error ; the truth, namely, that the greatest 
of all events, which was to produce the greatest revolu- 
tion in humanity, is actually connected with the epochs 
of the material universe, although the links of the chain 
may be hidden from our view." 

The whole culture of the Wise Men led them to seek a 
sign in the heavens of the advent of the Saviour. Sud- 
denly a new star appears in the sky. They gaze upon 
it with awe mingled with rapture. Prompted by an inward 
impulse too strong to be resisted, they at once set out in 
search of Him who is born King of the Jews. Losing no 
time by the way, they speed on through the deserts, over 



90 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

the mountains, across the Jordan, till they come to Jeru- 
salem. They find, no doubt to their surprise, that the 
great event is utterly unknown in the capital of Judaism. 
They demand of Herod where they may find and worship 
the new-born king. The wily and suspicious monarch, 
himself not without a strong tincture of superstition, 
convenes the chief priests and scribes, and inquires of 
them where Christ should be born. There was at that 
time a conspiracy in Herod's own family, and extreme dis- 
affection among the religious part of the nation. Herod's 
question was intended not merely to direct the execution- 
ers of his vengeance to the quarter from which danger 
was to be feared, but to force the authorized interpreters 
of the law and the prophets to a decisive statement as to 
the place and circumstances of the Messiah's birth \ seek- 
ing if any event should occur contrary to their version 
of the prophecies, either to commit them on the side of 
the ruling powers, or to quench forever the hope that was 
now agitating the popular mind. The assembly — pos- 
sibly the Sanhedrim itself — was at no loss for an answer ; 
prophecy clearly pointed to Bethlehem as the chosen place. 
Herod, pretending the most lively interest in the matter, 
urged the Wise Men to prosecute their search, and if suc- 
cessful to bring him word, that he also might hasten to 
the cradle of his great successor. 

The unsuspecting strangers joyfully journeyed to Beth- 
lehem. They seem to have reached there in the night, 
for, lifting up their eyes for guidance, they again saw the 
star standing directly over the house where the Divine 
Infant lay. Was their faith staggered when they saw the 
object of their long search, not in a palace but in a lowly 
cottage — not surrounded with adoring multitudes but in 
the seclusion of a peasant's household — not reposing on 
cushions of silk and down under a golden canopy, but 
lying in a manger ! No : they manifested neither surprise 



THE MISSION OF THE WISE MEN. 91 

nor doubt. " They saw the young Child, and Mary, His 
Mother, and when they had opened their treasures, they 
presented unto Him gifts, gold and frankincense and 
myrrh." Those who say that the gold was an acknowledg- 
ment of His royalty, the frankincense of His priesthood, 
and the myrrh prophetic of the embalming of His body for 
burial, probably see more in the gifts than the Wise Men 
intended : but the fancy, if it be quite a fancy, is harm- 
less and beautiful. After homage done to the Divine 
Child the sleep of those reverend men was holy ; God 
himself visited them in their dreams, and warned them 
not to return to Herod. So they returned to their own 
country another way. 

When the Wise Men left Jerusalem, Herod doubtless 
thought he had outwitted the heavens, thwarted divine 
predestination and taken a bond of fate. He had ascer- 
tained what time the star appeared ; he had thence calcu- 
lated the age of his infant rival ; and he hoped, on the 
return of the strangers, to learn the very name and abode 
of one who might cause him or his dynasty serious trouble 
if not destruction. He waited impatiently for the tidings 
they were to bring; but when it became apparent that 
they had read his cruel purpose and eluded it by a secret 
departure, his rage knew no bounds. He would not thus 
be circumvented ; he was king, and he resolved to accom- 
plish his purpose, if not in one way then in another. The 
Child must, as he judged, have been born about the time 
the star appeared in the east, and must now be more than 
one, and Hss than two years old ; in order, therefore, to 
make sure work, he sent his soldiers to Bethlehem with 
strict orders to put to death all the male children in the 
town and its suburbs under two years of age. How this 
cruel order was executed we are not told. We may con- 
jecture that the parents were summoned to bring their 
children to a given place, as if to be numbered, or for some 



92 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

similar purpose, and that then the massacre was perpetra- 
ted. The butchers of the tyrant made thorough work. 
There was mourning and lamentation in Bethlehem that 
day; many a fond heart was broken. Though the number 
slaughtered in that small rural village could not have been 
large, the atrocity of the deed made the ears of all who 
heard of it tingle. 

The soldiers return and report to the hoary tyrant that 
his decree is executed to the letter. He flatters himself 
that the Holy Child is put out of the way ; but what mad- 
ness for a man, however powerful, to think of frustrating the 
decrees of the Almighty ! The Child was safe, and Herod 
had in vain supped full of horrors. He was not long after 
seized with a loathsome and mortal disease. The descrip- 
tion of that disease by Josephus is too horrible and dis- 
gusting to be quoted in these pages. Suffice it to say, 
that his sufferings of mind and body were so intolerable, 
that he was only saved from ending a life of monstrous 
crime by self-murder through the ceaseless vigilance of 
his attendants. 

While the danger was impending over the Divine Child 
at Bethlehem, Joseph, warned by an angel in a dream, fled 
by night toward Egypt. The incidents of the journey, 
and of the sojourn in the land of the Pharaohs, are not 
recorded. Tradition marks the route of the holy pilgrims 
as lying through Hebron, Beersheba and the desert, and 
the place of their temporary abode as at or near Heli- 
opolis, which was almost a Jewish city. All this, however, 
is legend, not history. Their stay in Egypt could not 
have been long, — probably not more than three or four 
months: the death of Herod terminated their exile. 
When Joseph knew from a supernatural intimation that 
the tyrant was no more, he returned with the mother 
and child to the land of Israel. It was his purpose to 
settle at Bethlehem, which seemed the proper residence 



THE MISSION OF THE WISE MEN. 93 

for David's Son and Heir; but hearing that Archelaus, 
a vicious and cruel prince, was reigning in Judea in the 
place of his father, Herod, he continued his journey to 
Galilee and took up his abode in Nazareth. 

This portion of our history exhibits the infant Saviour 
in relations which proved prophetic to the Jews on the 
one hand, and the Gentiles on the other. How significant 
is it that the first intelligence of Christ's birth was com- 
municated to the civil and ecclesiastical rulers of the 
chosen people by travel-stained Gentile strangers! We 
can see why the arrival of those venerable men from a 
distant land, and their great question: "Where is He that 
is born King of the Jews?" must have caused an immense 
sensation at Jerusalem ; but it strikes one at first thought 
as unaccountable that they instituted no investigation; 
that they did not send messengers to the neighboring 
village of Bethlehem to verify the startling report which 
had come to them in so strange a way. A moment's 
reflection serves to clear up the mystery. 

The priests and scribes would look on Gentile religion- 
ists with distrust and contempt. "Surely," they would 
say, "the tidings of the Messiah's birth would not be 
brought to Jerusalem and the temple by uncircumcised 
heathens. These men are lunatics or knaves." Or if 
they were inwardly inclined to attach some credence to 
their declarations, they were deterred from taking any 
measures in the premises, by fear of their jealous, blood- 
thirsty king. They knew so well his capricious and cruel 
temper that they felt themselves standing every moment 
on a volcano. They well knew that any interest which 
they might betray concerning the reported birth of their 
Messiah, would be regarded by him as a symptom of dis- 
affection, perhaps as proof of conspiracy and treason. 
They therefore did nothing. When afterwards all the in- 
fants of Bethlehem were slain, they naturally thought 



94 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

the whole affair a delusion. It remains true, however, 
that the gospel was first preached to the rulers of the 
Jewish church by Gentiles. The opportunity was given 
them to know their King in His cradle, and to offer Him 
their homage ; but they rejected Him from the first. 

The Gentiles, in these reverend and noble representa- 
tives, bowed before the infant Christ, their bright and 
morning star, in glad adoration. They had been under 
divine teaching. They had been made conscious of their 
great religious need ; they had longed and prayed for a 
Saviour ; and though entangled in great errors, they had 
true faith in God, and He rewarded that faith, by reveal- 
ing to them, in a manner fitted to their culture and modes 
of thought, the glorious fact that the "Desire of nations" 
was already come. He vouchsafed to them a blessedness 
denied to patriarchs and prophets, that of seeing with 
their own eyes the " Light of the world." Thus early in 
the life of our Saviour did God distinctly intimate His 
purpose, to call all nations to the feast of redemption. 
And thus, too, was it foreshown that the Jews would re- 
ject their King, and be excluded from the feast till the 
fulness of the Gentiles should be brought in. 



CHAPTER V. 
THE INFANCY AND EARLY TRAINING OF JESUS. 

NAZARETH — DR. ROBINSON'S REFLECTIONS AT NAZARETH — SCANTY RECORDS 
OF HIS INFANCY — EMPTINESS OF APOCRYPHAL AND ROMISH LEGENDS 
CONCERNING IT — OBJECTION TO THE STUDY OF THIS THEME INVALID — 
THE HUMAN NATURE IN JESUS, SUBJECT TO DEVELOPMENT — THIS DE- 
VELOPMENT, THE RESULT OF AN INWARD FORCE — NOT UNAFFECTED, 
HOWEVER, BY HIS RELATIONS TO THE TIMES — HIS WISDOM NEVERTHE- 
LESS, UNBORROWED FROM TEACHERS, SCHOOLS OR SECTS — PROBABLE 
INFANTILE TRAINING UNDER MARY. 

"Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" Thus 
asked an Israelite indeed, who lived in the neighboring 
village of Cana. Nazareth, from some cause, had an ill 
name ; and this is perhaps the reason why we are apt to 
think of it without pleasure. It must have been, however, 
in the time of Christ as it is now, one of the most charm- 
ing villages in Palestine. Travelers speak of its scenery 
in terms of glowing admiration. Embowered in vine- 
yards, fig-trees, and hedges of prickly pear, and surrounded 
with gardens and fruitful fields, it nestles oil the lower 
slope of an eminence in the south-western corner of a 
green and flowery valley, enclosed by fifteen gently 
rounded hills, which seem to guard it from intrusion. 
The hill which rises several hundred feet above the town, 
commands one of the most enchanting views in the world. 
Toward the west is seen Mount Carmel clearly defined 
against the gleaming blue of the Mediterranean; far to 
the north rises the white summit of Mount Hermon: as 
the eye sweeps the east, it rests on the round, bald top 



96 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

of Tabor and on Little Hermon, while between them opens 
a view of the valley of the Jordan and of the highlands 
of Perea beyond; toward the south, stretches the fertile 
and historic plain of Jezreel or Esdraelon, to the mountains 
of Samaria and of Gilboa, Even now the country is well 
cultivated and productive ; in the time of Herod it must 
have been among the richest and fairest in the Holy Land. 

In this secluded and peaceful valley the childhood and 
youth of Jesus were passed. Here He received His human 
culture. All this beauty of earth and sky lay brooding 
on his soul from infancy. Says Dr. Robinson, in his jour- 
nal: "Seating myself in the shade on the summit of the 
hill, I remained for some hours on this spot, lost in con- 
templation of the wide prospect, and of the events con- 
nected with the scenes around. In the village below, the 
Saviour of the world passed His childhood; and, though 
we have few particulars of His life during those early 
years, yet there are certain features of nature which meet 
our eyes as they once met His. He must often have 
visited yonder fountain; His feet must frequently have 
wandered over the adjacent hills, and His eyes doubtless 
gazed on the splendid prospect from this very spot, 
Here, the Prince of Peace looked down on the great 
plain, where the din of battles so oft has rolled, and the 
garments of the warriors been dyed in blood ; and He 
looked out too, on that sea over which the swift ships 
were to bear the tidings of His salvation to nations and 
to continents then unknown." 

We can scarcely repress the wish, prompted by loving 
curiosity, that the evangelists had given us one glimpse 
of the Holy Family in their humble home at Nazareth. 
Could we but see the Child Jesus among the vineyards 
and olive orchards, and listen to one conversation between 
Him and His Virgin Mother ! Surely John was familiar 
with that home and its inmates. Why did he not lift the 



INFANCY AND EAKLY TRAINING OF JESUS. 97 

veil? The inspired history, however, was not given to 
gratify even a laudable curiosity ; but for infinitely higher 
purposes. The reticence of the evangelists is a proof of 
their inspiration. The Apocryphal Gospels are full of le- 
gends concerning our Lord's childhood \ but they are so 
puerile and grotesque that they do not merit serious no- 
tice in such a work as this. The Romish legend touching 
the miraculous transportation of the house in which the 
Holy Family dwelt, from Nazareth to Loretto, where it 
is now shown, — a legend confirmed by infallible papal 
bulls, — must also be passed by in "expressive silence." 
The throng of pilgrims who daily kiss the marble-cased 
walls and pavement of that house, would be more sure 
of finding Him whom they "ignorantly worship," by 
seeking Him in His living Word. The inspired memo- 
rials of our Lord's childhood are indeed very scanty, but 
they furnish abundant food for meditation. 

While we view the Divine Child in His earthly environ- 
ment and amidst His human associations and employ- 
ments, special caution is needed lest our sense of His 
majesty as the Son of God, and of the mystery of His in- 
carnation should be diminished. Some, indeed,* warn us 
against any inquiry into our Lord's human development 
as a step toward that naturalism which refuses to recog- 
nize the Divine in His manifestations. But the gospels 
certainly speak of His growth in wisdom as well as in 
stature, without any hint touching the danger of a rever- 
ent attempt to understand what is meant by that growth ; 
and the wisest theologians since the apostolic age have 
deemed it a legitimate subject of speculation. When the 
eternal Word was made flesh, He assumed a real hu- 
manity, not an illusive appearance or phantasm. The 
physiological and mental laws which regulate the devel- 

* See Ellicott, page 90. 



98 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

opment of manhood in other individuals had their full 
and natural operation in the Child Jesus. "And the Child 
grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom ; and 
the grace of God was upon Him."* This certainly im- 
plies that Jesus passed by a true human development, 
from the weakness of infancy to the full strength of His 
glorious manhood. 

But the unfolding of His human faculties was the result 
of an inward force, a force, not of external circumstances, 
but of the indwelling Word. He was, hence, free from 
all taint of natural corruption, and therefore, from all the 
moral causes of darkness and error. All the parts, facul- 
ties, and impulses of His organization, were pure, healthy, 
and well-balanced. Born into a world of sin, He grew up 
to a perfect manhood, by a light and energy which we 
ascribe to the fulness of the Godhead dwelling in Him 
bodily. We are not, therefore, at liberty to conceive of 
His mind and character as formed by circumstances, — as 
resulting from such culture as He received from men, or 
from the ideas and spirit of the age. He was in no sense 
produced by His time. Yet He stood in certain relations 
to the modes of thought, the laws and institutions of the 
nation to which He belonged. He had His place in the 
historical development of the chosen people, and of the 
world. We need not therefore deny that His develop- 
ment was in some degree modified, though not determined, 
by the facts of nature around Him, by His condition in life, 
by His employments, by His companions, and by the direct 
instruction which He received. 

Notwithstanding this, even infidels are compelled to 
acknowledge that He learned nothing from schools and 
sects. His doctrines were so utterly at variance with the 
dead orthodoxy, the rigid formalism, and the arid, tradi- 

*Luke ii. 40. 



INFANCY AND EAELY TRAINING OF JESUS. 99 

tional subtleties of the Pharisees; and with the stolid 
materialism and sneering infidelity of the Sadducees, that 
we can not for a moment suppose that He was ever influ- 
enced by the teachers of those dominant sects. It is just 
as difficult to associate Him with the ascetic Essenes, whose 
mysticism, and abhorrence of oaths, and opposition to the 
more influential sects, have been thought to present strong 
points of resemblance to the teachings of Christ ; but whose 
monastic seclusion and unsocial manners preclude the 
supposition that they made any impression on the mind 
and character of the youthful Jesus. The suggestion of 
a late writer* that Persian ideas had in some way found 
their way into that illuminated mind, is too absurd to 
deserve refutation. Jesus sat at the feet of no Jewish 
Rabbi : He learned wisdon from no heathen sage. Greece 
and Eome brought Him nothing : it does not even appear 
that their languages were known to Him. His townsmen 
regarded Him as ignorant of letters, and therefore mar- 
veled at His divine sayings. Jesus doubtless produced 
from His own divine consciousness all that was true in 
every religion ; but He borrowed from none. 

This, however, does not warrant the inference that He 
received no instruction in childhood. There is the clear- 
est evidence that He was taught the law and the prophets, 
and that His meditation had been therein day and night. 
He doubtless learned to read like other children, though 
His understanding of the living oracles was by an inward 
light. We cannot but imagine that He was the pupil of 
His Virgin Mother. We shall surely be guilty of no 
irreverence, if we picture Him as standing by the knees 
of Mary, while she teaches Him out of the law. What 
must have been the feelings of that mother, as she looked 
on that upturned face, in which was the dawning con- 

* Renan. 



100 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

sciousness of His divine parentage ; as she watched the 
daily development of that unearthly purity and wisdom 
which attracted the attention and reverent admiration of 
neighbors. How holy, how beautiful, must have been the 
intercourse of the Virgin Mother and the Divine Child ! 
How serene and saintly must have been the tender period 
of His infancy; and although but a peasant's cottage, 
how hallowed must have been His home 






CHAPTER VI. 

THE YOUTH OF JESUS. 

JESUS GOES UP TO JERUSALEM — DISAPPEARANCE OF JESUS, AND HIS DIS- 
COVERY IN THE TEMPLE — REPLY OF JESUS TO MARY, AND ITS PRO- 
PHETIC SIGNIFICANCE — LACK OF MATERIALS FOR THE HISTORY OF 
HIS YOUTH — FILIAL SUBJECTION OF JESUS — HIS LABOR AND CARE 
FOR THE HOUSEHOLD — HIS OCCUPATION — MARY'S FAITH IN HIS MES- 
SIAHSHIP — HIS PROBABLE ASSOCIATION WITH MEN — HIS COMMUNION 
WITH GOD. 

The transition from childhood to youth, in the life of 
Jesus, was marked by a memorable incident. It had been 
the custom of Joseph and Mary to go up once a year to 
Jerusalem, to the feast of the Passover. As Jesus had 
now reached the age of twelve years, which, according to 
Jewish notions, was the commencement of youth, they 
determined to take Him with them to the house of God, 
Thus He who was greater than the temple appeared a 
second time in its courts. At the close of the feast, the 
caravan, which seems to have been a large one, set out on 
the homeward journey. Either soon after starting or 
during the course of the day, Joseph and Mary appear to 
have noticed the absence of Jesus from their company. 
But supposing Him to be with their friends and neighbors 
in some other part of the caravan, they gave themselves 
no uneasiness. When, however, the caravan halted for 
the night, which was probably at only a short distance 
from the city, and Jesus could not be found, they were 
filled with solicitude. Hastening back to Jerusalem, they 
diligently sought Him in every place where they judged it 
possible He might be found. For three days, long days 



102 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

they must have been to Mary, their search was fruitless 
But at length they found Him in the synagogue of the 
temple, sitting among venerable doctors of the law, lis- 
tening to them, asking them questions, and in His turn 
giving such answers as filled them with astonishment. It 
would seem that His words were to them flashes of divine 
light, far above all human learning, far above the wisdom 
of the schools, — words which proceeded from a conscious- 
ness of divine things which no Master in Israel had ever 
felt. It is possible that several of the most illustrious 
Kabbis, on this occasion spoke face to face with Him before 
whom their wisdom afterwards paled its boasted glory. 
" The now aged Hillel the looser, and Shammai the binder, 
and the wise sons of Betirah, and Rabban Simeon, Hillel's 
son, and Jonathan the paraphrast, the greatest of his 
pupils," might have been in that august company. 

Mary's past grief and present surprise are shown in the 
tender words : — " Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us ? 
behold thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing."* 
The answer is singularly interesting as the first recorded 
saying of Jesus : — " How is it (or why is it) that ye sought 
me ? Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's 
business?"! These words, mysterious as they were to 
those who heard them, struck the key note of His subse- 
quent life in the flesh. They expressed a distinct con- 
sciousness that He was the Son of God, come into the 
world on a spiritual and holy mission, which must be 
fulfilled. We are reminded of a later saying, when His 
work was well-nigh done : — " I have a baptism to be bap- 
tized with, and how am I straightened till it be accom- 
plished." t That Mary should have kept this saying in 
her heart is not surprising. What hallowed and precious 
memories were treasured up in that heart! 

*Luke ii 48. +Luke ii. 49. tLuke xii. 50. 



THE YOUTH OF JESUS. 103 

Of the next eighteen years of our Lord's life, the 
evangelists have left ns no history. That Jesus abode at 
Nazareth is quite clear. He did not wander to other 
countries or to other parts of Palestine, in pursuit of 
knowledge. Neither did He hide Himself in the desert, 
as so many of His misguided followers have done. But 
beyond this we know nothing. Not a single incident of 
this long period, — more than half of all the time He lived 
in the flesh, — has been preserved. It is not, however, a 
blank. One or two pregnant hints are dropped, from 
which we may with certainty infer the general course of 
His history. 

It is expressly recorded, that, during this period, Jesus 
was subject to His parents. This was, of course, a free 
and voluntary subjection ; and as He was now becoming 
conscious of His relation to God as His only begotten 
Son, it must have been intended to exemplify filial piety 
and obedience. He who was the head of the creation, 
and the source of all authority, submitted Himself to the 
will of earthly parents, and with humble alacrity obeyed 
their commands. Thus He "learned obedience." 

As youth waxed into manhood, He appears to have re- 
garded Himself as by no means released from obligation 
to the household; but spent many years of His best 
strength and vigor in patient manual labor for its sup- 
port. Tradition records that, soon after His return from 
Jerusalem, Joseph died ; and this is not improbable, as no 
further mention of his name appears in the inspired his- 
tory. It is, therefore, quite possible, that the entire sup- 
port of the household, including now several brothers and 
sisters,* devolved on Jesus. This continued until He was 
about thirty years of age. For His mother, however, He 

* Whether these brothers and sisters of the Lord were the children of 
Joseph and Mary, or of Alpheus and another Mary, are questions which are 
quite insoluble. See Andrews' Life of Christ, page 104. 



104 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

made provision even down to the time of His crucifixion ; 
for one of His latest acts was to commit her to the care 
of the disciple whom He loved. 

As to His occupation, it is quite certain that He followed 
the trade of Joseph, for His townsmen afterwards called 
Him the carpenter. There was a tradition, old even in 
the time of Justin Martyr, who records it, that our Lord 
" made ploughs, yokes, and other implements pertaining 
to husbandry." Imagination may well linger around that 
carpenter's shop at Nazareth, and sometimes look in at the 
open door. Such hands were never before or since laid on 
saw and axe and hammer. Such a countenance — so full of 
meek majesty, of the peace of God and the presentiment 
of a wondrous mission — was never, elsewhere, seen in a 
place of labor and traffic. Little did the employers of 
that artisan know that He was the only begotten Son 
of God. They paid for His labor and went their way; 
and He toiled on, month after month, and even year after 
year, in serene patience and joy, knowing that His time 
was not yet come. 

While He was thus unrecognized by the multitude, we 
can not repress the thought, that during all those toilsome 
years there was one who received Him from day to day, 
when He returned from His place of toil to His lowly 
dwelling, with reverent recognition and unspoken sym- 
pathy. The blessed Mary never doubts that He will in 
due time be manifested to Israel. Yet she waits patiently ; 
no weak maternal love, no unholy ambition tempts her to 
incite her Divine Son to anticipate the appointed time of 
His manifestation as the King of the Jews, — the Saviour 
of His people. "Full of grace," she rests in an abiding 
faith, and these are, doubtless, the happiest years of her 
life. Not yet does the sword pierce through her soul. 

What discourse Jesus held with men during these years 
we know not. Though His manner of life was secluded, 



THE YOUTH OF JESUS. 105 

we can not believe that He withdrew Himself from the 
society of friends and neighbors. That would have been 
contrary to the spirit of His religion. He doubtless min- 
gled in social intercourse with the large circle of relations 
in the neighborhood ; and with His townsmen, as occasion 
offered ;* and His bearing towards all must have been 
lowly, gentle a^id courteous ; for His whole life was steeped 
in love. Neither can we doubt that He lived in uninter- 
rupted communion with his Father. The groves and 
grottoes, the mountains and valleys around Nazareth, 
were hallowed by His meditations and prayers. 

* This is a fair inference from Luke ii. 44, 



CHAPTER VII. 

LESSONS FROM THE YOUTH OF JESUS. 

WHY JESUS MUST NEEDS PASS THROUGH THE PERIOD OF CHILDHOOD AND 
YOUTH — NECESSARY TO A PERFECT SYMPATHY WITH MAN — A GROUND 
OF COMFORT TO PARENTS — BRINGS THE CHILD NEARER TO JESUS — 
THE DUTY OF FILIAL PIETY — THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS ENNOBLES 
LABOR — IT DIGNIFIES EVEN POVERTY. 

Haying thus brought down the history of Jesus to His 
thirtieth year, the period at which He was to enter upon 
His ministry, we naturally pause to consider the question, 
Why did He spend so long a time in a secluded and ob- 
scure condition before engaging in His great work? Why 
did He not appear on earth in a mature manhood, like the 
first Adam, and speedily accomplish His divine mission ? 

Those who would ask this question have not deeply 
pondered the great purpose of the Incarnation. Had they 
done so, they would have seen at the outset, that it was 
necessary that the Son of God should acquire by actual 
experience perfect sympathy with men. He must enter 
by a true birth into the human family, and must in all 
things be made like unto His brethren, that He may have 
a true fellow feeling with them in their infirmities and 
toils. The thirty years of His life previous to the com- 
mencement of His public ministry were necessary to 
qualify Him, in His human nature, for the headship of 
His people. But for this He could not have been "touched 
with a feeling of our infirmities;" and we should not have 
felt ourselves drawn to Him as a "merciful and faithful 
High Priest." 



LESSONS FROM THE YOUTH OF JESUS. 10? 

May we not also believe that, from having been first an 
infant, and having thence passed, by natural development, 
to childhood, youth, and manhood, our Lord regards little 
children with a more tender, sympathizing love ? When 
we consider the weakness of our little ones, and the perils 
to which they are exposed in this evil world, does it not 
increase the strength and tenderness of our trust in Him 
as their Friend and Saviour to know that He passed 
through the same season of life ? When, too, we see them 
wasting away by disease ; when the little limbs grow thin 
and transparent; when the dear eyes, once so bright, be- 
come sunken and dim ; and when they pant hard in dying ; 
— is it no consolation to us that we may commit them to 
One who was once Himself a helpless child? 

How necessary, also, was this youthful experience on 
the part of Jesus to bring Him close to the childish heart ! 
When children are old enough to think and reason some- 
what, there is nothing so fitted to win their love and 
awaken their aspirations for moral purity and goodness, as 
to tell them of the "Holy Child Jesus." Many a little 
dying saint has remembered the Babe of Bethlehem — the 
Child of Nazareth, — and leaped forward toward eternity 
with rapturous longing. When we consider how large a 
proportion of the human family die in infancy and child- 
hood, we feel how necessary it was for their Saviour to 
gain a true sympathy with them, and to make a conscious 
union between them and Him possible, by entering, 
through a true experience, into the facts of their condi- 
tion. Indeed, we all love to feel that Jesus has trodden 
the very path we travel; that He knows by experience 
its dangers and sorrows ; that He understands our tempta- 
tions and has fought our battles. It is this feeling that 
makes His example so powerfully attractive to persons of 
every age and condition. 

The youthful reader will also see in the early life of 



108 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

Jesus a beautiful example of filial piety and obedience. 
He, the Lord of glory, was for thirty years subject to 
earthly parents. This is recorded as one of the principal 
features of His character. And who will say that this 
was not right and lovely? Was it not fitting that the 
youthful Jesus should treat His own blessed mother with 
tenderness and respect? Would not His character have 
lacked symmetry and perfection, if this virtue had been 
wanting ? Surely, it was important that loving and rev- 
erent subjection to parents should be especially exem- 
plified in the life of Christ, and thus be set before the 
young of all times, as a model to be admired and copied. 
Filial piety lies at the foundation of social morality and 
well-being, and is intimately connected with piety towards 
God, who is the Infinite Father of all, and who, in that 
character, challenges the reverence and love of His crea- 
tures. "If I be a Father, where is mine honor?" — as if 
to be a father were to possess the most sacred title to 
obedience and veneration. The relation between parent 
and child is indeed holy and tender. Does not the child 
carry the parent's blood — his very life — in his veins ? Is 
not that transmitted life a mysterious and hallowed bond 
between them? 

Filial disobedience has been branded by all nations and 
religions as an unnatural, monstrous sin. The youth who 
can look upon those from whom he drew his life, — those 
who tenderly watched over his helpless infancy, and pro- 
vided for his subsistence and culture in childhood, with 
any feelings but those of gratitude and affection ; or who 
can destroy their peace by cool indifference and wilful 
disobedience, is an unworthy and dangerous member of 
society. He will in later years be proud, headstrong, 
reckless ; he will be impatient of all moral restraints ; the 
laws will be but as cobwebs in his pathway of crime ; and 
if he escape the penitentiary and the gallows, it will be 



LESSONS FEOM THE YOUTH OF JESUS. 109 

by rare good fortune, or by the special interposition of a 
long-suffering Providence. 

The example of Jesus in His youth, has forever enno- 
bled and sanctified labor. Not only is useful industry in 
general, but manual labor in particular, made respectable, 
nay, venerable, by those years of toil at Nazareth. The 
majority of men must always work with their hands ; and 
our Lord chose their lot, not only to redeem it from con- 
tempt, but to teach them how to make it blessed. Work 
will cease to be despised, and will be held in reverent esti- 
mation, just in proportion as the history of the Divine 
Artisan is received into the hearts and reproduced in the 
lives of the toiling millions. In the same proportion, also, 
will that contempt of labor, which is the vice of all aris- 
tocracy, and of slaveholding in particular, disappear from 
the world. The true way to emancipate labor, and to 
abolish slavery in fact as well as in form, is to carry Christ 
into the lower strata of society, and to leaven the "masses" 
with His heavenly spirit. Then will they be no longer 
looked upon as " masses," but in the grandeur of their in- 
dividual development, as u kings and priests unto God." 

It must be also added that the early life of Jesus invests 
poverty itself with dignity. This was His chosen lot in life. 
He might have made His advent in all the splendor of 
earthly royalty; He might have surrounded Himself from 
infancy, with more than the pomp and luxury of Solomon ; 
but He chose rather to be a poor artisan, and to gain His 
food and raiment by daily toil. This He did to rebuke 
the avaricious, and to comfort the poor and needy. ye 
who are not rich in gold and silver, houses and lands ; ye 
who feel the hard gripe of want, — look not with envy on 
those who are prospered in the world; but rather look to 
Nazareth, and the meek, toiling carpenter there, and thank 
God that, even in outward condition, you resemble Him 
who came in the form of a servant, not to be ministered 



110 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

unto but to minister. He has sympathy with you in every 
care and trial, in all your labors and all your privations. 
What if He should turn from the palaces of the rich and 
proud to take up His abode with you? This He will 
surely do, if you feel as He felt and walk as He walked 
when He was circumstanced as you are. Be diligent, 
submissive, just, contented, and expect, when Christ shall 
come again without sin unto salvation, an incorruptible 
inheritance and a crown of unfading glory. 



PART III. 



The Preparation. 



CHAPTER I. 

THE FORERUNNER. 

CIRCUMSTANCES AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT IN BIOGRAPHY — THE " HILL-COUN- 
TRY " OF JUDEA — JUTTAH, AND THE BIRTHPLACE OF JOHN — CHAR- 
ACTER OF HIS PARENTS, AND DEATH OF HIS FATHER — NAZARITISM — 
JOHN'S AUSTERITY AS A NAZARITE — ANXIOUS EXPECTATION OF THE 
JEWISH PEOPLE — COMING OF JOHN— EFFECT OF HIS PREACHING — HIS 
SEVERE DENUNCIATION OF THE PHARISEES AND SADDUCEES — MODERA- 
TION TOWARDS THE SOLDIERS AND PUBLICANS — PECULIAR FEATURES 
OF JOHN'S PREACHING — JOHN DISCLAIMS THE MESSIAHSHIP AND DE- 
CLARES HIMSELF THE FORERUNNER OF JESUS. 

lis" order to understand the character of any man, 
whether obscure or celebrated, we must attentively con- 
sider the circumstances which have influenced His de- 
velopment. Among those circumstances, climate, natural 
scenery, early associations, and manner of life, including 
even dress and diet, are to be regarded as of considerable 
importance. The inspired history does not omit such 
details in its brief biography of John the Baptist, to 
whose character and mission our attention must now be 
turned. 

According to Luke, who alone has given us the narra- 
tive of John's early life, he had his birthplace in "the hill- 
country of Judea." The region so designated in the 
gospels is an elevated and broken, but not utterly barren 
tract, lying south of Jerusalem, and west of the Dead Sea. 
The traveler from Sinai to the Holy City, on leaving the 
desert, enters a region compared by Dean Stanley "to the 
lowlands of Scotland and Wales. It is marked by high 



114 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

hills, sheltering green valleys, and is partitioned into 
gardens, cornfields, vineyards, and olive orchards. Here 
and there, the ruins of ancient cities attest the strength 
and glory of its former possessors, while mosques and 
minarets witness the mournful fact that the followers of 
the false prophet now hold the soil once trodden by the 
feet of patriarchs, and still hallowed by their sepulchres. 

On the borders of this region, which partakes of the 
features of both the desert and the hill-country, anciently 
stood a city of the priests, the ruins of which are still 
called, by the natives of the country, Juttah. Mention 
is made of this city in Joshua and Chronicles, in the list 
of towns allotted to the priests. It is but a few miles 
from Hebron, — that place so rich in associations, the home 
and the burial-place of Abraham, the residence of David 
during the first seven years of his reign, and itself both a 
priestly city, and a city of refuge. While we can not 
with absolute certainty identify Juttah with the "city of 
Judah," which was the birthplace of John, there are strong 
probabilities in its favor. We may be sure, at least, that 
he was born somewhere in its vicinity; for, though his 
father, Zacharias, was sometimes called to Jerusalem, to 
officiate in the temple-service, his ordinary residence was 
in the "hill-country," and there he and Elizabeth were 
living at the time of their son's birth. In this region he 
must also have grown up to manhood ; for he continued 
in the desert until the time of his showing unto Israel. 

Of the parents of John we know little. Their charac- 
ter, however, may be summed up in these words : — " They 
were both righteous before God, walking in all the com- 
mandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless."* 
There is a very ancient tradition that John was left an 
orphan at an early age, by the barbarous murder of his 

*Luke i. 6. 



THE FOKERUNNEK. 115 

father "between the porch and the altar;" — a crime to 
which our Saviour alludes, as among the latest and most 
aggravated of that long series, for which a terrible retri- 
bution was about to be visited on that generation. 

Previous to his birth, John had been marked out by 
divine appointment as a prophet of God. By direction 
of the angel who announced his birth, he was to live a 
Nazarite. Nazaritism had been common among the Jews, 
from the days of Moses, and probably from an earlier 
time. The laws established by him for its regulation re- 
quired the growth of the hair during the period of the 
vow, strict abstinence from the fruit of the vine in every 
form, and the avoidance of all defilement from the dead. 
There was nothing monastic in the nature of this vow, 
even when taken for life, and it was usually of short 
duration ; — it did not involve celibacy, nor seclusion from 
the world • nor, — except in the particulars mentioned, — 
did it require a departure from the customs of society. 
The life of John was, however, far more solitary and 
austere than that of Nazarites in general. In addition to 
the avoiding of wine and strong drink, his food was 
locusts and wild honey ; his raiment was of coarse cam- 
el's-hair cloth ; and he was girded with a leathern thong. 
It is probable, also, that from an early age, the conscious- 
ness of his prophetic mission cut him off from familiar 
and cheerful intercourse with the world. As he ap- 
proached the age of manhood, he must have presented to 
the few who saw him the aspect of a hermit; perhaps 
even of a devotee, worn by fasting and suffering. 

In his appearance and mode of life, as well as in his 
character and mission, John revived the type of the an- 
cient prophet, coming in the spirit and power of Elias. 
Conscious that he was divinely called to be a reformer, 
that he was to summon a great and corrupt nation to re- 
pentance, he early girded himself for his work, not only 



116 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

by the consecration of all his powers to God, but also by 
a most rigorous preparatory discipline. He evidently 
realized, what the general consciousness of the Christian 
world has never yet ceased to feel, that bodily subjuga- 
tion, by means of prayer and fasting, is the best possible 
preparation for eminent service in the kingdom of God. 
For, in spite of an Epicurean philosophy, it must be main- 
tained, that the mortification of the bodily appetites by 
abstaining from stimulating meats and drinks, and closer 
communion with the Holy Spirit, by means of seclusion 
from the world, meditation and prayer, are among the 
first and most effective means of growth in grace and 
spiritual power. There is great reason to fear, that as 
Protestants, in revolting from the rigor of a solitary and 
ascetic life, we have swung to the opposite and equally 
dangerous extreme of self-indulgence and luxury. It can 
hardly be doubted that John, by his stern, self-denying 
discipline, laid the foundation for that spiritual purity and 
power which subsequently enabled him, as^i preacher of 
repentance, to sway the Jewish nation at will. In the 
course of this preparatory training, he waited in patience 
and faith, the divine summons to enter on his ministry 
as the forerunner of Christ of whose birth and presence 
somewhere among the thousands of Israel, he doubtless 
had already received full assurance, either from his parents 
or by direct divine intimation. 

In the meantime, the whole Jewish people were in an 
attitude of waiting. Undoubtedly, vague rumors of the 
miraculous events which marked the birth of Jesus, had 
found their way to every fireside in Palestine ; and though 
the wondrous child had disappeared from Bethlehem in a 
sudden and mysterious manner, and had not since been 
heard of by those who worshiped at his cradle, yet mul- 
titudes who waited for the consolation of Israel, clung to 
the hope that he would in due time be manifested. This 



THE FORERUNNER. 117 

longing for the speedy advent of the Messiah was becom- 
ing daily more anxious and intense as the Roman tyranny 
grew more cruel and intolerable. It pervaded all classes 
in every part of the kingdom. The coming of the Mes- 
siah was the great theme among the priests who trod the 
marble cloisters of the temple; among tradesmen, in the 
market place ; husbandmen, vine-dressers, and shepherds, 
in the fields; fishermen, in their boats; soldiers, in their 
barracks, and even publicans sitting at the receipt of 
custom. When women, with their water-pots, met at 
wells and fountains, they spoke to each other of the Mes- 
siah. Mothers and daughters talked together in their 
chambers of their long-expected King, and listening chil- 
dren, with earnest eyes, looked up to them, and asked : 
"When is He coming?" Israelites "indeed, in whom was 
no guile," kneeling under fig-trees and in olive-groves, 
prayed, "Thy Kingdom come." Aged saints, with bowed 
and tottering forms, and beards as white as snow, prayed 
that their dim eyes, ere they were closed in death, might 
see the Hope of Israel. Thus earnest and expectant was 
the entire nation. The great crisis was universally felt to 
be at hand. 

Hark! "The voice of Him that crieth in the wilder- 
ness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord: make straight in 
the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall 
be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made 
low; and the crooked shall be made straight and the 
rough places plain; and the glory of the Lord shall be 
revealed and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth 
of the Lord hath spoken it." # The hour has struck ; the 
word of the Lord comes to John the son of Zacharias ; his 
prophetic burden is laid upon him. Among the mountains 
of Judah his awful voice resounds like a clarion: "Repent, 

*Lulie iii. 4. 



118 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."* He passes on 
from village to village, from city to city, and his message 
everywhere is the same. All men are startled — electri- 
fied; they rush forth to gaze upon the preacher; they 
see his credentials written on his brow; they recognize 
the light of inspiration in his eye ; they feel that the voice 
which thrills and subdues them is the voice of a prophet. 
Awe-struck, weeping multitudes gather around him. They 
follow him from place to place ; they hang upon his lips ; 
they watch every gesture. Nor is the extent of the 
movement less astonishing than its power. As he de- 
scends the mountains and approaches the Jordan, he 
seems surrounded by half the nation; for the news that a 
great prophet has suddenly appeared, flies like lightning 
over the land. The valley of the Jordan is one wild 
scene of excitement. Its dense population is flowing to 
the spot where the Baptist has taken up his temporary 
abode. The intelligence reaches Jerusalem, and the vast 
city is moved by it as the leaves of a mighty forest are 
moved by the wind. The universal exclamation is : " The 
time is at hand: our anointed King, the Son of David is 
about to come ! " Crowds press outward from the gates ; 
the road to the Jordan is thronged; all classes are min- 
gled and whirled along together. Not many clays elapse 
before companies arrive from Galilee, — fishermen from 
the shores of Genesareth ; husbandmen and artisans from 
Nazareth and Cana: and, following close upon these, pil- 
grims from the remotest confines of the Holy Land, — 
all rushing to see the new prophet and to receive his 
baptism ; for there " went out to him Jerusalem and all 
Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, and were 
baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins." f 

In meeting and dealing with this mixed multitude, the 

* Matthew iii. 2. f Matthew i. 5 ; 6. 



THE FORERUNNER. 119 

Baptist is singularly penetrating and fearless. He distin- 
guishes between true and false penitents. His denuncia- 
tions of the self-righteous and hypocritical are appalling. 
Behold approaching him a group of Pharisees, with their 
broad phylacteries, their sanctimonious faces, and their os- 
tentatious scorn of the profane multitude around them. 
Hard upon their heels we see another group who, but for 
their Jewish costume, might be taken for Greek Epi- 
cureans, apparently rich, elegant, worldly voluptuaries, 
without a particle of religious faith or emotion. The 
Baptist, with his solemn eyes and prophetic insight, reads 
them all at a glance. His face assumes an expression of 
awful anger; he breaks forth in words of terrible denun- 
ciation: "0 generation of vipers, who hath warned you 
to flee from the wrath to come ? Bring forth, therefore, 
fruits meet for repentance; and think not to say within 
yourselves, We have Abraham to our father; for I say 
unto you that God is able of these stones to raise up 
children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid 
unto the root of the tree ; and every tree that bringeth 
not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire." # 
With other classes, seemingly more corrupt and culpa- 
ble, he is more lenient. As the Pharisees and Sadducees 
slink away from the spot, behold a company of soldiers 
approaching. They are, doubtless, in the service of Herod 
the tetrarch, who is himself the mere creature of Roman 
despotism. We- cannot doubt, therefore, that they were 
held in abhorrence by every orthodox Jew. These are 
followed by a group of publicans — Roman tax-gatherers 
— men who were more heavily laden with the hatred and 
execrations of the people than any other class. Surely 
the prophet will receive them with an air of stern reproof 
and righteous indignation? Just the reverse. His coun- 



* Luke, iii. 4-9. 



120 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

tenance softens; he becomes gentle and affectionate in 
manner ; he kindly imparts counsel to both classes, adapted 
to their occupations. He says to the former, "Do violence 
to no man, neither accuse any falsely, and be content with 
your wages,"*' and to the latter, "Exact no more than that 
which is appointed you."t 

A single glance is now sufficient to reveal the strong 
points in the preaching of John. Its power lay in moral 
directness and pungency. His baptism had a deeper 
significance than any ceremonial purification. John de- 
manded of his penitents, not only confession of sin, but 
actual amendment of life. What he most hated and de- 
nounced, was ceremonial self-righteousness on the one 
hand, and, on the other, irreligious worldliness. A pecu- 
liar effect of John's apj3earance and preaching soon began 
to show itself. "As the people were in expectation," 
daily looking for the coming of the Messiah, the question 
arose in many minds whether John might not himself be 
the expected One ; — "All men mused in- their hearts 
whether he were the Christ or not." This led the Bap- 
tist to define his position. He disclaims being the Messiah 
and points the people to One mightier than himself. 
" I indeed," said he, " baptize you with water ; but One 
mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am 
not worthy to unloose : He shall bajDtize you with the 
Holy G-host and with fire : Whose fan is in His hand, and 
He will thoroughly purge His floor, and gather the wheat 
into his garner; but the chaff He will burn with fire 
unquenchable." t 



*Luke iii. 14. tLuke iii. 13. J Luke in. 16, 17. 



CHAPTEE II. 

THE BAPTISM OF JESUS. 

PREPARATION COMPLETE — JESUS AS YET UNKNOWN TO JOHN — JOHN'S 
ANXIOUS EXPECTATION — BAPTISM OF JESUS — NO NEW COMMISSION TO 
JOHN — JESUS WITHDRAWS, AND JOHN CONTINUES HIS LABORS — DESIGN 
OF THE? BAPTISM OF JESUS — IT ENFORCES THE GENERAL DUTY OF 
OBEDIENCE — IT WAS HIS INAUGURATION INTO THE PRIESTLY OFFICE — 
IT WAS A SYMBOL OF HIS WHOLE WORK IN REGENERATION — ENFORCED 
BY ANALOGIES. 

The "voice crying in the wilderness" has now sounded 
from the southern desert to Mount Lebanon. The whole 
nation has been roused by it to repentance, and is looking 
for the speedy corning of its divine king. We may be 
sure that the news did not fail to reach Nazareth, soon 
after John's appearance ; but for months there is no change 
in the household of Mary. The work goes on in that car- 
penter's shop day after day, week after week, while the 
whole nation is in one blaze of excitement. But, at length 
the time is accomplished ; the period of preparation and of 
waiting has expired; and Jesus being about thirty years 
of age, lays aside- the implements of His trade, and leaves 
His workshop to others. His hand shall never be laid on 
axe or hammer again. He leaves Nazareth and takes His 
journey to the Jordan. 

If Jesus and John had ever met,— as from the intimacy 
between Mary and her aged cousin Elizabeth, and the cus- 
tom, doubtless observed in both families, of attending the 
passover feast at Jerusalem, may seem probable,— it could 
have been only in early youth. John had lived for years 



122 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

in the solitude of the desert; Jesus "the carpenter's son," 
could scarcely have been identified out of his own family, 
with the wondrous Babe, whose birth in Bethlehem and 
presentation in the temple were still remembered by a 
few aged saints in Jerusalem. We have the testimony of 
John, that at the time of the baptism, Jesus was personally 
unknown to him. This was doubtless by divine appoint- 
ment, that there might be no suspicion of collusion between 
them, 

We may imagine that, during the months in which 
John had been preaching, he had looked among the 
thousands who came to his baptism for the One whose 
shoe-latchet he felt himself unworthy to unloose. Per- 
haps his heart had sometimes grown sick with hope de- 
ferred. He knew the Messiah to be living somewhere in 
Israel ; he knew that He would come to his baptism ; and 
a supernatural sign had been promised him by which he 
should be able to identify the Saviour of the world. But 
He had not yet come. The Baptist longs, and prays, and 
continues to preach the Kingdom of God as at hand. 

At length his hopes are suddenly fulfilled. There 
comes a youth to the Jordan in whom John discerns so 
much purity, meekness and wisdom, so much gentle and 
gracious majesty, that, though he does not at once recog^ 
nize Him as the Messiah, he is struck with awe, and over- 
whelmed with such a sense of impurity while standing in 
His presence, that he exclaims, " I have need to be bap- 
tized of Thee, and comest Thou to me?" "Suffer it to 
be so now;" the Divine Stranger replies, "for thus it be^ 
cometh us to fulfill all righteousness."* The Baptist,— 
doubtless with a joyful presentiment, — yields : the greatest 
oi the prophets administers this most sublime and sig- 
nificant rite to the one perfect Man. What must have 

* Matthew iii. 14, 15. 



THE BAPTISM OF JESUS. 123 

been his emotions, as descending with Jesus into the Jor- 
dan, he baptized Him in the limpid flood ! As Jesus went 
up out of the water, He prayed ; and the heavens were 
opened,* and John saw the embodied form of the descend- 
ing Spirit, — the appointed sign of the dove — hovering 
over the head of the august supplicant, and resting upon 
Him, and he heard at the same moment a voice from 
heaven saying: "Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I 
am well pleased." t ' 

It would be interesting to know what were at this time 
the expectations of John, with regard to his future minis- 
try. Doubtless the question arose in his mind, whether 
his work as the forerunner was not now ended. Was he 
not about to receive a call as a disciple, and to be hence- 
forth associated with Jesus, in the work of setting up His 
kingdom? Would he not be, at once, His first friend and 
chief apostle ? Such an expectation would have been ex- 
tremely natural. But, no! Hardly had the Baptist time 
to collect his thoughts, ere Jesus disappeared. No op- 
portunity for conversation seems to have been allowed. 
There was no consultation with regard to their future 
labors. No new commission is given to John. Jesus now 
goes up into the wilderness, to fight His great duel with 
the tempter; John continues his labors. Having received 
his ministry from God, he will not lay it down without a 
signal from heaven. Doubtless, he now prosecutes his 
work with increased hope and joy; for his eyes have seen 
the salvation of God. But he must sometimes wonder 
what has become of the meek and lowly Nazarene, whose 
Divine Sonship was so wondrously attested by a voice from 
the excellent glory. 

The baptism of Jesus, though narrated in few words, 
is full of meaning. Its general design is intimated in 

* Luke in. 21. t Luke iii. 22. 



12-4 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

His reply to John: "Thus it becometh us to fulfill all 
righteousness." The whole of our Lord's life was a con- 
tinual setting forth of the duty of universal obedience to 
the declared will of God. "When He cometh into the 
world He saith, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it 
is written of Me,) to do Thy will, God."* He strictly 
kept the law of Moses. He submitted to all rightful au- 
thority in the household, in the state, and in the church. 
He came to John to be baptized, because John was a 
minister of Jehovah, and because His baptism was a di- 
vinely appointed rite. In this, as in all things, he mani- 
fested that spirit of obedience which made His life and 
death a precious and acceptable sacrifice to God. In all 
parts and periods of His earthly existence, — in childhood, 
in j^outh, and in ripeness of years ; — as a member of a 
family, or as a single worshiper; in solitude, or in com- 
pany; in the wilderness, or in the city; in the shop or the 
temple; in honor or contempt; in hunger or at feasts, — 
He could truly say: "My meat is to do the will of Him 
that sent me." f 

Further, the baptism of Jesus was a solemn consecra- 
tion to His office as the Messiah. That it was such is in- 
dicated by the fact, that He did not present Himself 
to John until he was about thirty years of age, — the age 
at which the priests were consecrated, and before attain- 
ing which, none could lawfully officiate; and that this 
was the beginning of his public ministry, previous to 
which He did not, so far as we know, preach a sermon, 
work a miracle, or make a disciple. As the Messiah, also, 
it had been foretold by Zechariah, that he should "be a 
priest upon His throne." $ He was vested with authority 
which was kingly. Such authority had been exercised by 
many of the High Priests, especially from the rise of the 

* Heb x. 57. t Wilberforce on the Incarnation, pp. 178, 180. tZech. vi. 13. 



THE BAPTISM OF JESUS. 125 

Maccabees to the accession of Herod. The Jewish High 
Priest was the only mediator between God. and the na- 
tion ; he only could make atonement for them by sacrifice 
and intercession, — in all which he was preeminently typi- 
cal of Christ.* In accordance with this, our Lord actually 
exercised authority which He derived from His baptism 
by John, The reader has here only to refer to His purifi- 
cation of the temple, immediately following his triumphal 
entry into Jerusalem. In casting out of the temple those 
who defiled it with worldly and unlawful traffic, and in 
justifying the act by an appeal to the Scriptures ("My 
house shall be called a house of prayer, but ye have made 
it a clen of thieves,") He directly assumed authority over 
the temple and all it contained. 

The baptism of Jesus had, moreover, a peculiar sym- 
bolical relation to the regeneration of human nature. 
The baptism of John was a sign of moral purification. 
Now, as Jesus was without stain of sin, either original 
or actual, the rite could have no direct personal signifi- 
cance ; it could indicate no purification in Jesus ; for He 
had no pollution to be washed away. But Jesus entered, 
by His incarnation, into the line of Adam's posterity, that 
He might regenerate our common humanity. He was the 
beginning of a new creation; the second Adam of a re- 
deemed race. As Adam was the head of the race, in 
respect to their descent from Him by ordinary genera- 
tion ; so Christ is the head of His people, in respect to 
their spiritual descent from Him by regeneration. The 
entire work of redemption may, in this light, be properly 
called the regeneration. This regeneration commenced in 
the sanctification of Christ's humanity : " For their sakes 
I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified 
through the truth." f As therefore, the baptism of the 

*See Hebrews iv. 14-16, and chap. v. passim. t John xvii. 19. 



126 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

individual believer is a sign of Iris individual regeneration ; 
the baptism of Jesus is a sign of the regeneration of the 
race. In His case, it was not so much the individual that 
was baptized as humanity itself. It was not any sin of 
His own which was sacramentally washed away by His 
baptism, but the sins of all His people, which he had taken 
upon Himself. His baptism was, then, a striking symbol 
of His whole work as Redeemer. 

Aside from its own consistency, this view is amply sus- 
tained by analogy. The great acts of our Lord were all 
represe?itative. He acted solely as a public person — as 
the Head of the Church. Hence, when He went into the 
wilderness and was tempted, it was as the second Adam — 
as the representative of the race. Still further, His death 
was truly vicarious, — it was a sacrifice for, and instead 
of, the whole world. So, too, in His death and resurrec- 
tion, He was the Head and representative of His people : 

"In Him we rise ; 
In Him we reign, 
And empires gain, 
Beyond the skies." 

It is clear, then, that the baptism of Jesus was a repre- 
sentative act, and prefigurative of His whole redemptive 
work. 



CHAPTER III. 
THE TEMPTATION— PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS. 

PRELIMINARY POINTS TO BE CONSIDERED — JESUS, NOW CONSCIOUS OF HIS 
MESSIAHSHIP — JEWISH MISCONCEPTION OF HIS CHARACTER AND MIS- 
SION — DEMONIACAL CHARACTER AND ORIGIN OF THEIR FANATICISM — 
THE EXISTENCE OF A PERSONAL DEVIL MUST BE ASSUMED — THE BE- 
LIEF IN A WORLD OF SPIRITUAL EXISTENCES, UNIVERSAL AND VALID — 
REVELATION BRINGS TO LIGHT THE ORIGIN OF A WORLD OF EVIL 
SPIRITS — THE GRAND OBJECT OF SATAN; AND HIS SUCCESS IN SE- 
DUCING THE HUMAN RACE — THE OBJECT OF JESUS, TO DESTROY THE 
DEVIL AND HIS WORKS — IN WHAT SENSE IT WAS POSSIBLE FOR JESUS 
TO BE TEMPTED OF THE DEVIL — DR. SCHAFF'S VIEW OF THE SUBJECT. 

In order to a right understanding of the temptation, 
it is necessary that careful attention should be given to 
certain preliminary points. This will not be considered 
superfluous by the reader who properly estimates the 
importance of the events related in the sacred narrative. 
The temptation of Jesus is a mysterious subject; and, 
from the nature of the events themselves, as well as from 
some variations in the several accounts given of them, 
its discussion is attended with grave difficulties. 

We can not doubt that at his baptism, Jesus became 
fully conscious of his Messiahship, and of the super- 
natural powers inherent in His person as the God-man. 
He had been pointed out by the Baptist as the Christ; 
He had been declared to be the Son of God by a voice 
from heaven; He had been filled with the Holy Ghost. 
He knew, therefore, that the time had come for Him to 
enter upon His great work. The great question now 



128 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

was, how He should manifest Himself as the Messiah. 
The Jewish mind was filled with false notions of their ex- 
pected King. While they believed that He would be 
invested with miraculous power, and show great signs 
and wonders in attestation of His divine mission, they 
conceived of Him as a secular prince, who would re- 
establish the throne of David, and extend his dominion 
throughout the world. This perverted idea of the Mes- 
sianic kingdom, — an idea from which even John could 
not quite extricate himself, — was now the greatest ob- 
stacle to the recognition of the King who came in a 
servant-form, to establish His authority, not by force or 
worldly arts, but by moral influence. It was certain from 
the outset that the nation, as such, would reject the 
meek Nazarene who utterly discarded all secular aims, 
and declined all secular alliances. Jesus was about to 
enter into conflict with the worldly spirit which lurked 
under the religious formalism of the Jewish Church. 

That spirit had been the growth of ages; and now, 
under the Roman despotism, it had reached a pitch of 
patriotic fanaticism which throbbed with feverish in- 
tensity in all hearts. Indeed, the whole people seemed 
to be under a sort of demoniacal possession, which grew 
more absolute and frenzied down to the utter destruction 
of Jerusalem and the temple. This strange language will 
not strike those with surprise who are familiar with the 
history of that time. We are forced to ascribe the per- 
verted religious views and the terrible fanaticism of the 
Jews to the influence of Satan. It was thus he strove 
to thwart the mission of Christ, the Woman's Seed, who, 
it had been declared, should bruise the head of the 
serpent. 

And this brings us to a question fundamental in the 
present discussion,— the existence and personality of an 
evil intelligence, called in the Scriptures the devil and 



THE TEMPTATION PRELIMINARY. 129 

Satan. On this hinges our interpretation of the Lord's 
temptation, and in some degree our view of His person. 
If there was no tempter, we can account for the conflict 
through which Jesus undoubtedly passed, in no way which 
will not give a rude shock to our faith in His absolute 
sinlessness and divinity. 

This is a question which can not be settled by science 
however " positive," nor by philosophy however transcend- 
ental. It is a question of fact which can only be solved 
by an appeal to testimony. But what witness shall we 
summon to testify concerning persons and events in a 
sphere quite beyond the cognizance of the senses? 

That there is such a sphere, has been believed in all 
ages; and, whatever modern rationalism may assert to 
the contrary, is believed as strenuously in our highly 
civilized nineteenth century as ever. What nation, an- 
cient or modern, has not held to the existence of spiritual 
intelligences and their influence on man? The beautiful 
superstition of ancient Greece, which peopled the rivers, 
fountains, caves, trees, oceans, and heavenly bodies with 
divinities, was an effort of human nature to explore that 
hidden world which was believed to encompass, pervade, 
and vivify the world of sense. The whole vast and sombre 
mythology of oriental nations is a herculean effort in the 
same direction. The Hindoo pantheon, with the subtle,, 
pantheistic philosophy which is its key, reveals a mighty 
but fruitless attempt of unassisted reason to clutch the 
secret of the universe. Go where you will, you shall find 
men gazing with earnest, longing eyes into the great dark- 
ness. Thus nature itself clearly intimates the existence 
of a spiritual world ; but what it is and what are its rela- 
tions to men, revelation only can disclose. 

Eevelation lifts the veil. It gives us glimpses of a vast 
and wonderful theatre, the actors of which are innumer- 
able spiritual creatures, both good and evil. It carries us 
9 



130 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

back to a period anterior to the creation of our world, 
and makes us spectators of grand and awful events in the 
world of spirits. We behold rebellion in heaven. We 
see an exalted Intelligence in the exercise of free-will re- 
volting against the government of God, and drawing after 
him an innumerable .host of inferior spirits. Thus origi- 
nated the Kingdom of Evil, of which Satan is the head 
and chief. This idea of the person and aims of Satan, is 
the key to this mysterious portion of sacred history. 

Those who deny a personal devil can not understand 
the temptation. They fall into manifest absurdities when 
they begin to explain the particular expressions em- 
ployed by the evangelists. What, according to their 
view, is meant by the "devil?" They answer flippantly 
enough the "principle of evil." And, pray, what may 
that high-sounding phrase, "principle of evil," signify? 
Are we to understand by it, a law, or force, or impersonal 
energy, which operates like the law of gravitation in the 
material world ? That would be monstrous fatalism. Does 
it, then, mean natural depravity; an innate tendency to 
sin? Beware! Will you charge on the Holy one of God 
moral corruption? Was He assailed in the solitude of 
the desert by the solicitations of an evil nature? The 
question ends the controversy. 

It is the purpose of the arch apostate to extend and 
perpetuate moral evil; to maintain incessant war against 
truth, order, holiness, and God. In the prosecution of 
this purpose, Satan, when man was created in the image 
of God, undertook to lead him into transgression. The 
first man, according to that great law which governs the 
transmission of life from generation to generation, held 
the character and destiny of the race in his own hands. 
When, therefore, by diabolical arts Adam was seduced to 
disobedience, sin became hereditary and organic, and the 
whole race came into the closest union with the fallen 



THE TEMPTATION" PKELIMINARY. 131 

angels; Satan became "the god of this world, and ruled 
in the hearts of the children of disobedience." "The 
whole world/' says John, "lieth in the Wicked One." # 
" Ye are of your father, the devil," said Christ to the 
Jews, a and the lusts of your father ye will do." t It was 
the design of the original temptation in Paradise to bring 
the human family into this fearful bondage to the powers 
of darkness. The consequence of the fall was, that men 
became naturally susceptible to diabolical influence. 

Now it is expressly revealed that the mission of Christ 
was to destroy the works of the devil ; and to redeem the 
human race from this dreadful thraldom. To this end He 
became incarnate, for thus only could He become the new 
Head, — the second Adam, — of the race. As such it was 
necessary that He should be tried ; and that He should 
overcome where the first Adam had been overcome. He 
must be exposed to all the malice and cunning of the 
arch-tempter ; He must, even at the outset of His career, 
descend into the arena and do battle with principalities 
and powers and wicked spirits in high places. Satan 
must come and find nothing in Him. Such is the scrip- 
tural doctrine of evil spirits, their power over mankind, 
and their relation to the mission of Christ. It is a doc- 
trine which may be ridiculed by those who acknowledge 
no test of truth but their own sensations ; but it must be 
assumed as true by all who would understand the life and 
mission of Jesus Christ. 

Passing from this, another question, hardly less impor- 
tant, presents itself: Temptation implies, not only a 
tempter, but a certain susceptibility to temptation, — call 
it, if you will, temptability, — in the person assailed. Now, 
we have affirmed the absolute sinlessness of Christ. How 
then could He be tempted of evil ? He was indeed free 



See the Greek ; also the preceding context; I. John y. 18. f John viii. 44. 



132 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

from all taint of moral depravity ; but He took our nature 
with its infirmities, natural peccability included. His hu- 
man will was mutable ; and He had all the appetites, the 
desires, the susceptibility to pleasure and pain, which are 
inseparable from human nature. While, then, there is a 
sense in which, being God-man, it was impossible for Him 
to sin, it remains true, that, in His human nature, He was 
necessarily open to assault, not only in the wilderness, but 
during His whole course, even until He cried on the 
cross, "It is finished," and gave up the ghost. This is 
not inconsistent with His sinlessness. Adam, previous to 
the fall, had no corrupt propensities ; yet he was tempted, 
to his cost and ours. We must be careful, however, to 
hold the balance of faith steady and even. If, on the one 
hand, we exalt the Son of God above the possibility of 
temptation, we lose our consoling faith in His sympathy 
with His tempted brethren j and if, on the other, we 
ascribe to Him the least inclination to evil, we destroy our 
own confidence in Him as a Divine Redeemer. The sub- 
ject is placed in a clear light in the following luminous 
paragraph, from a learned and thoughtful writer : — 

" The sinlessness of Christ was at first only the relative 
sinlessness of Adam before the fall ; which implies the 
necessity of trial and temptation, and peccability, or the 
possibility of the fall. Had He been endowed with abso- 
lute impeccability from the start, He would not have 
been a true man, nor our model for imitation ; His holi- 
ness, instead of being His own self-acquired act and in- 
herent merit, would have been an accidental or outward 
gift, and His temptation an unreal show. As true man, 
Christ must have been a free and responsible agent ; free- 
dom implies the power of choice between good and evil, 
the power to violate, as well as to fulfill, the law of God. 
But here is the fundamental difference between the first 
and the second Adam : the first Adam lost his innocence 



THE TEMPTATION PRELIMINARY. 133 

by the abuse of his freedom, and fell by his own act into 
the dire necessity of sin ; while the second Adam was 
innocent in the midst of sin, and maintained His inno- 
cence against every temptation. Christ's relative sinless- 
ness became more and more absolute sinlessness by His 
own moral act, or the right use of His freedom in active 
and passive obedience to God. In other words, Christ's 
original possibility of not sinning which includes the op- 
posite possibility of sinning, but excludes the actuality of 
sin, was unfolded into the impossibility of sinning, which 
can not sin because it will not. This is the highest stage 
of freedom, where it becomes identical with moral neces- 
sity, or absolute and unchangeable self-determination to 
goodness and holiness." # 

*Dr. Scliaff's "Person of Christ," pages 51-52 



CHAPTER IV. 
THE TEMPTATION. 

SCENE OF THE TEMPTATION — IMMEDIATE OCCASION OF JESUS' GOING INTO 
THE WILDERNESS — THE FIRST TEMPTATION — ITS GENERAL AIM — ITS 
APPEAL TO THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF SPECIAL POWER — JESUS CHALLENGED 
TO PROVE HIS POWER — SPECIAL ADVANTAGE TAKEN OF HIS EXTREME 
HUNGER — WHY JESUS MIGHT NOT WORK THE PROPOSED MIRACLE — 
HIS METHOD OF REPULSING HIS ADVERSARY — SUBSTANCE OF THE 
ANSWER OF JESUS — THE SECOND TEMPTATION — REAL NATURE OF THE 
ACT PERFORMED — THE VIEW PRESENTED TO JESUS FROM THE PINNA- 
CLE OF THE TEMPLE — FORCE OF THE DEVIL'S SUGGESTION — OUR LORD'S 
ANSWER — THE THIRD TEMPTATION — NATURE OF THE ACT PERFORMED, 
AND THE PROSPECT PRESENTED TO JESUS — SATAN'S OFFER — THE TRI- 
UMPHANT REPLY OF JESUS — END OF THE TEMPTATION — PRACTICAL 
REFLECTIONS. 

Westward of the Jordan, where Jesus was baptized, 
stretches a "wilderness," gloomy and sterile, to the foot 
of a mountain which rises almost perpendicularly to a 
height of some fifteen hundred feet. This mountain, 
called Quarantania, is full of caverns, many of them arti- 
ficial, which were once inhabited by a multitude of her- 
mits, drawn to the place by the tradition that there our 
Lord passed the forty clays which preceded his temptation. 
The tradition can not be traced to the earliest times, but 
its truth may be accepted as highly probable. The region 
answers well the requirements of the inspired history. 
It is a lonely desert, inhabited by wild beasts, and some- 
times infested by robbers. 

Immediately after His baptism Jesus was constrained 
by the Spirit of God to go alone into this gloomy desert, 
to engage in fasting, meditation and prayer. We can 



THE TEMPTATION PRELIMINAEY. 135 

not suppose that this was for any ascetic or peniten- 
tial purpose ; for He was absolutely free from sin, and 
His body did not need chastisement and mortification. 
Neither can we believe that, soon after his baptism, as 
some imagine, a horror of great darkness fell upon His 
sinless soul, and obscured the consciousness of His Divine 
Sonship. On the contrary, we rather hold that He wan- 
dered into the desert, lost, as it were, in divine musings, 
and in communion with the Father. We may, also, rev- 
erently conjecture that, looking forward to His future 
work, He was forecasting his labors, and settling the plan 
of His Messianic ministry. Meanwhile, immersed in holy 
meditation, and sustained by the vivifying energy of the 
Godhead which dwelt in His person, He continued forty 
days without thought of bodily nourishment. 

At length, aroused from this divine trance, He felt the 
pain of hunger. It was at this critical moment that the 
tempter first approached Him, not, it may be presumed, 
in a visible, bodily form, but by a suggestion which Jesus at 
once recognized as from a spiritual intelligence. Doubtr 
less, too, He saw the adversary, as spirits see each other ; 
for among His supernatural powers, the vision which pene- 
trates the spiritual world was not wanting.* However 
this may be, the tempter, having, perhaps, heard the 
Divine Yoice at Bethabara, suspects, without positively 
knowing, that this is the Son of God. Bent on testing 
His character and power, he approaches, and partly in the 
way of challenge, partly as intimating doubt, and partly 
in the tone of kind suggestion, says to Jesus : a If Thou 
be the Son of God, command that these stones be made 
bread." t 

How much of diabolical cunning was wrapt up in those 
words ! Satan well knew the power of hunger over man- 

*Lukex. 18. fLukeiv. 3. 



136 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

kind. He had seen men rob and murder to procure food ; 
he had even seen delicate women, in time of famine, slay 
and eat their own children. He knew, too, the extremity 
of the Saviour's suffering. His language was, then, in 
effect thus : " Thou hast been declared to be the Son of 
God. Thou art then endowed with supernatural powers, 
yet art Thou famishing in this desert. Why endure this 
longer ? Exert Thy divine power, and change this stone 
into bread. Thou canst easily do it 3 and the occasion 
justifies and demands it." 

The aim of the tempter was to induce Jesus to put His 
Sonship to the proof by working a miracle, in the desert, 
to satisfy His hunger. The force of the temptation lay, 
first, in the very consciousness of special power which, as 
we have seen, had come to our Lord at the time of His 
baptism; — the consciousness of a power which He had 
never yet exerted, but for the exertion of which there 
now seemed to be an urgent occasion. Was He not hun- 
gry ? Had He not been fasting for forty days ? Might 
He not perish of starvation in that barren solitude ? God 
did not rain manna upon Him, as He had done upon the 
fathers in the desert ; might He not have left Him to pro- 
vide for Himself by a miracle ? Having the power to do 
this, why, under the circumstances, should He hesitate ? 

The possession of special power is itself a temptation. 
"By it," in the words of another, "the virtuous man is 
removed from ordinary rules ; from the safe course which 
has been marked by the footsteps of countless good men 
before him, and has to make as it were, a new morality 
for himself. In different circumstances, few men can 
long wield extraordinary power without positively com- 
mitting crimes. But here we see the good man placed 
in a position entirely strange, deprived of the stay of 
all precedent or example, gifted with power not only ex- 
traordinary, but supernatural and unlimited, and thrown 



THE TEMPTATION PRELIMINARY. 137 

for his morality entirely upon the instinct of virtue 
within Him." # 

Add to this the important consideration that Jesus had 
never yet wrought a miracle., and that He was here and 
now challenged to demonstrate His power to do so, and 
for what seemed to be a laudable purpose. What would 
have been the sin of yielding to the suggestion? Why 
not as well here as elsewhere evince His power for the 
first time? Still further: the temptation was rendered 
peculiarly powerful by the hunger which our Lord must 
have experienced after so protracted a fast. That it was 
most intense and painful is beyond doubt. The tempter 
evidently so understood it, and knowing the strength of 
appetite in the famishing, counted the more certainly 
upon success. 

Now, looking at these considerations, the question arises, 
Why might not Jesus have yielded to the suggestion of 
His adversary? Where would have been the sin? The 
question is legitimate and must be answered. Jesus con- 
sidered miraculous powers as a trust committed to Him 
for the kingdom of God alone. They were powers to be 
employed, not for the gratification of His own appetite 
or will, not for any personal or selfish end, but only for 
the good of others, and for the furthering of His Messianic 
and redemptive work. Had He wrought a miracle at the 
suggestion of Satan, for a private end, how would He have 
differed from false prophets and magicians? 

Let us now see how He meets and vanquishes the temp- 
ter in this his first attack. He enters into no argument ; 
there is, in His mind, no lawless inclination to reason down. 
His will is in a state of perpetual sacrifice ; and He simply 
cites the revealed will of God, saying : " It is written," as 
an answer to the unholy suggestion. Let it be noted that 



*Euce Homo. 



138 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

His weapon throughout this conflict is the Word of God, — 
that sword of the Spirit which no defensive armor of hell 
can withstand. 

The passage quoted on this occasion was singularly 
pertinent and powerful. This appears the more strikingly 
when it is read in its connection as it stands in Deuteron- 
omy Yiii. 2, 3: "Thou shalt remember all the way in 
which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the 
wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know 
what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep 
His commandments or no. And He humbled thee, and 
suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna which 
thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that He 
might make thee know that man cloth not live by bread 
only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth 
of the Lord doth man live." The word of the Lord, His 
creative word, had provided the manna instead of ordi- 
nary food, and it had sustained life as well or better. The 
same creative word can support human life by any means 
which it may appoint. 

In this quotation Jesus declares His unshaken confi- 
dence in His Father's love and power, and His absolute 
submission to His will. u Far be it from me," is the sub- 
stance of His reply, " to prescribe to God the mode in 
which He shall provide me sustenance. Rather will I 
trust His creative power, which can find means to satisfy 
my hunger even in the desert, though it may not be with 
man's usual food. Far be it from me to pervert the 
miraculous powers which He has given me, to any other 
than the holy uses for which He designed them. Rather 
will I wait His time, and trust His wisdom for the fitting 
moment to prove that 'All power is given unto me in 
heaven and in earth.' " * Wonderful self-denial ! Call it 



* Matthew xxviii. 18. 



THE TEMPTATION PRELIMINARY. 139 

rather divine ! "He will not help Himself from resources 
which he conceives placed in His hands in trust for the 
good of others. He prefers rather to suffer." * Such was 
the victory of Jesus over the tempter in his first assault. 

The record of the second temptation is as follows: 
" Then the devil taketh Him up into the Holy City and 
setteth Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto 
Him: If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down; 
for it is written, He shall give His angels charge con- 
cerning Thee; and in their hands they shall bear Thee 
up, lest at any time Thou clash Thy foot against a stone." f 

Let us here again exclude the fancy that there was 
any bodily appearance of the adversary, or that he trans- 
ported the Saviour through the air, from the desert to 
Jerusalem. The words of the evangelist imply nothing 
of the kind. The meaning is, simpty, that Satan con- 
ducted Him into the Holy City ; that is to say, by a pow- 
erful impulse to which Jesus voluntarily yielded. A few 
hours' walk would enable Him to reach the city, and to 
ascend that lofty wing of the temple which overhung the 
valley of Jehoshaphat. Josephus declares that no man 
could stand on that pinnacle, without being dizzy ; and 
that its height was so great that a man could not see the 
bottom of the valley beneath. 

That Jesus really stood on that lofty wall, we cannot 
doubt ; otherwise, the temptation has no meaning. We 
must presume/also, that He stood there in the day-time, 
and in public view ; though, of course, the attention of 
the multitude passing in the streets and valley below was 
not particularly drawn to Him. It is probable that the 
pinnacle on which Jesus stood was much frequented by 
those who desired to view the Holy City and the region 
around, resembling in this respect the dome of St. Paul's 



*Neander's " Life of Christ," page 71. f Matthew iv. 5, G. 



140 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

in London, or of St. Peter's at Eome. He stands there, 
as any other stranger might stand. He sees the people 
below, moving hither and thither like pigmies. He sees 
the buildings of the temple glittering in the sunlight. 
The courts are thronged with worshipers. The fire is 
blazing on the high altar. The priests are passing to and 
fro in their ministrations. 

As Jesus stands here, the tempter again appeals to His 
consciousness of supernatural power, with the design of 
seducing Him to exert that power for a purpose incom- 
patible with the end of His mission ; and, perhaps, to create 
a doubt in His mind, by the reiteration of the former 
challenge. He whispers " Cast Thyself down : no evil 
can come of it; God has promised that His angels shall 
bear Thee up in their hands. Test Thy Sonship here and 
now, in the presence of priests and people. Show by a 
great sign, that Thou art the Christ. An opportunity is 
offered Thee, to demonstrate to Thyself and the nation 
that Thou art the Messiah. Descend on angel's wings, to 
the valley at the foot of this precipice, or into the courts 
of the temple ; and Thy claims will be at once established. 
Thou wilt be installed at the head of the nation and of 
the hierarchy, as their Priest-King. By a single act, Thy 
work will be accomplished." 

Our Lord meets this attack of the tempter with another 
stroke of that glittering sword, of which Satan had pre- 
viously felt the edge. It is written again; "Thou shalt 
not tempt the Lord thy God." * This is equivalent to say- 
ing, that to work a miracle merely to display supernatural 
power; especially to cast one's self into danger which 
might be avoided, merely to test divine faithfulness and 
love, would be tempting God. Christ's faith in God and in 
Himself and His purpose not to employ miraculous power 

* Matthew iv. 7; Deuteronomy vi. 16. 



THE TEMPTATION PRELIMINARY. 141 

in an ostentatious, magical manner, to gratify the Jewish 
appetite for marvels, does not once falter. Not by appeal- 
ing to superstitious wonder will He enter on His public 
work, nor will He do it rashly and prematurely: He will 
calmly wait for an intimation of the Father's will. 

And now comes the third and last encounter. "Again 
the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high moun- 
tain, and showeth Him all the kingdoms of the world, 
and the glory of them, and saith unto Him: All these 
things will I give unto Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and 
worship me." # Satan still continues invisible, or is visible 
only to our Lord's inner eye. He leads Him up into a 
lofty mountain ; and, as He there gazes on the wide pros- 
pect, the horizon seems to retreat ; distant seas, shores, 
countries, cities, rise to His view, till the whole world lies 
before Him as a map. The mighty kingdoms of the East, 
— Parthia, India, China; the countries of the South, — " 
Arabia, Egypt, Ethiopia; the great empire of the West, 
including Greece, Italy, Gaul, Germany, Spain, Britain, — 
all are presented to his eye "in a moment of time," — an 
expression which plainly intimates the preternatural char- 
acter of the vision. 

All these kingdoms ; that is to say, the empire of the 
world, Satan offered to Jesus. The empire thus offered 
was not only world-wide, but of a worldly nature, — an em- 
pire to be won by satanic agency, and maintained by 
satanic arts. He solicits the Saviour to set up such a 
kingdom as the Jews were longing for; and he offered 
his aid in establishing it. Thus was Jesus brought face to 
face with the spirit of the age, — with its selfishness, its cor- 
rupt principles, its unholy arts, its satanic tendencies, its 
pomp and luxury, its pride and oppression, — in a word, its 
devil-worship ; for Satan was right, — such an empire as he 

* Matthew iv. 8, 9. 



142 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

offered could only be won by his aid. Neither can we 
doubt that he was perfectly sincere in his offer. There 
was no man whom he would so willingly have made em- 
peror of the world as Jesus of Nazareth ; for that would 
have involved the apostasy of the Messiah, and the de- 
struction of the hopes of mankind. Satan would have 
been more than ever the " god of this world." 

But, blessed be God ! our Captain in this conflict proved 
stronger than the "strong man armed." Listen! "Then 
said Jesus unto him: Get thee hence, Satan; for it is 
writen: Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him 
only shalt thou serve." * Thus our Lord resisted the 
temptation to found a secular monarchy, by declaring 
that God was the only object of worship. The one true 
God, — holy, just, ever-living, — was proclaimed the sole 
King and Lord whose will was to be done on earth and 
in heaven. 

Thus ended the temptation. Satan, baffled and con- 
founded, withdrew. A Man had at length foiled his hell- 
ish arts and overcome him in open fight. As he left the 
Saviour, angels came and ministered unto Him. The 
words which our great poet has put into their mouth, 
might have been fitly sung by them: 

" Hail, Son of the Most High ! Heir of both worlds ! 
Queller of Satan ! on Thy glorious work 
Now enter ; and begin to save mankind." 

The history of this conflict between our Lord and the 
prince of darkness is highly suggestive. It reveals the 
fact that there is a kingdom of evil which dominates over 
our human world. Men have been ensnared, conquered 
and led captive by Satan. They are continually exposed 
to the influence of evil spirits; and our corrupt nature 

* Matthew iv. 10 ; Deuteronomy x. 20. 



THE TEMPTATION PRELIMINARY. 143 

constantly invites and reinforces their assaults. The nar- 
rative also suggests their peculiar avenues of approach, — 
appetite, pride, and love of power. To temptations in 
these directions we are constantly exposed. It shows, 
also, that Jesus went to that battle, as the Representative 
Man, the Elder Brother, and, therefore, the Defender, 
Champion, and only Hope of the human family. 



PART IV. 



The Early Ministry of Jesus. 



CHAPTER I. 
JESUS AT BETHABARA. 

GENERAL METHOD TO BE PURSUED — JOHN CONTINUES HIS LABORS — THE 
SANHEDRIM RESOLVE TO QUESTION HIM — JESUS GOES TO BETHA- 
BARA — MESSENGERS OF THE SANHEDRIM QUESTION JOHN — JESUS PRES- 
ENT AND RECOGNIZED BY JOHN — JOHN EXPLICITLY ANNOUNCES JESUS AS 
THE MESSIAH — ANALYSIS OF JOHN'S LANGUAGE — JOHN'S CHARACTER 
AS THUS EVINCED — JOHN AND HIS DISCIPLES ANDREW AND JOHN — 
CONFERENCE OF JESUS WITH ANDREW AND JOHN — INTERVIEW OF 

JESUS WITH SIMON — JESUS MEETS PHILIP — JESUS AND NATHANAEL 

QUIETNESS AND PRIVACY OF JESUS' FIRST LABORS AND THE HUMBLE 
CHARACTER OF HIS AGENCIES — CHARACTER OF GOD'S MODE OF WORK- 
ING HARMONY OF THE COURSE OF JESUS WITH THE DIVINE METHOD, 

A PROOF OF HIS DIVINITY. 

In the preceding portions of the work, each chapter 
has had a certain unity of its own; it has embraced a 
distinct topic which admitted a certain logical compact- 
ness in its treatment. For obvious reasons this will be 
hereafter impracticable. We enter, now, upon the simple 
narrative of the life, labors, and death of Jesus. The 
order pursued must, of course, be mainly chronological, 
and the method- adopted must be chiefly that of a run- 
ning commentary upon the narrative. The object will be 
to present Jesus living, acting, teaching, suffering, dying, 
rising, and ascending to heaven, in such graphic and for- 
cible terms as will impress upon the mind of the reader a 
clearer, fuller, lovelier, image of the Incarnate Son of God, 
who dwelt among us full of grace and truth. 

It will be remembered that immediately after His bap- 
tism, Jesus disappeared, leaving John entirely ignorant 



148 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

of His plans or movements. The latter, having as yet 
received no new revelation as to his ministry, continued 
preaching, and was at the time at which our narrative 
opens, at Bethabara, on the eastern bank of the Jordan. 
He appears to have been thus far unmolested. The great 
council of the Jewish Church, called the Sanhedrim, 
had permitted him to preach and baptize without inter- 
ference or even inquiry. Doubtless many of its members 
shared in the popular enthusiasm, and cherished the hope 
that the coming of their King and their national emanci- 
pation was at hand. When, however, the suspicion began 
to prevail that John himself was the Messiah, the council 
determined to inquire into the nature of his mission, and 
his warrant for baptizing. In pursuance of this purpose, 
they selected messengers from among the priests and 
Levites belonging to the sect of the Pharisees, and sent 
them to Bethabara to question John. 

Jesus had, in the meantime, sought the same place, 
partly because the Baptist was there to render a public 
testimony to His Messiahship, and partly because there 
were among the multitude of John's disciples, a few to 
whom He wished to manifest Himself. He had, therefore, 
taken temporary lodgings at Bethabara, and was now 
quietly waiting the proper opportunity to enter upon His 
work. Whether or not He had any interviews with John, 
during those few days, we are not informed. That John 
was aware of His presence among the multitude, is quite 
evident, although to all others He appears to have been 
wholly unknown. 

Coming at length to Bethabara, the messengers of the 
Sanhedrim approached John, and accosted him with the 
question: "Who art thou?"* The question was abrupt, 
and was probably put with an air of authority. The an- 



* John i. 19. 



JESUS AT BETHABAEA. 149 

swer was correspondingly curt and explicit : " I am not 
the Christ." * " What then ; art thou Elijah ? " t This ques- 
tion evidently referred to the prediction by Malachi, that 
Elijah would be the forerunner of the Messiah. $ As he 
was not Elijah, in their literal and carnal understanding 
of the prophecy, John replied : " I am not."§ "Art thou, 
then, that prophet?" — that is, the prophet spoken of by 
Moses. || "No!" "Who art thou? that we may give an 
answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thy- 
self?"^ To this question John returned a very general 
and cautious answer ; for he seems to have had no con- 
fidence in his interrogators. " I am the voice of one cry- 
ing in the wilderness : Make straight the way of the Lord, 
as saith the prophet Isaiah." ## This vague reply by no 
means satisfied the messengers ; for they immediately re- 
joined : " Why baptizest thou, then, if thou be not that 
Christ, nor Elij ah, neither that prophet ? " ft This was as if 
they had said: "No one can baptize without divine author- 
ity. If you are neither of these divinely authorized mes- 
sengers, what are your credentials ? what right have you 
to baptize ?" John at once replies : "I baptize with water ; 
but there standeth one among you whom ye know not. 
He it is, who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose 
shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose." $$ The purport 
of this reply was : " My baptism is merely figurative of a 
mightier, even a spiritual baptism, which shall be given 
by Him who cometh after me ; and of whom I testify that 
He has already come ; that He is standing even now among 
you, though unrecognized by any but myself. He is so 
pure, so holy, so exalted, that I feel unworthy to perform 
the lowliest offices about His person, — I am not worthy 
to unloose even the latchet of His shoe." 

* John i. 20. t John i. 21. $ Malachi iv. 5. § John i. 21. 

Ii Dent, xviii. 15. If John i. 22. ** John i. 23 ; Isaiah xl. 3. 
ttJohni. 25. I* John i. 26, 27. 



150 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

It is evident from these words that Jesus was present 
at this interview between John and the messengers ; and 
that, though the multitude knew him not, the Baptist 
knew Him, and inwardly loved and adored Him. He did 
not point Him out publicly ; but he testified to His actual 
presence, and His divine purity and power. And this tes- 
timony, how touching and beautiful was it ! How full of 
humility, of self-renunciation, of love, of faith ! It was 
remembered and afterwards cited to by our Lord Him- 
self, in proof of His divine mission : " There is another 
that beareth witness of Me, and I know that the witness 
which he witnesseth of Me is true. Ye sent unto John, 
and he bare witness unto the truth."* 

The messengers of the Sanhedrim having returned to 
Jerusalem, John, on the following day, took occasion to 
bear a still more explicit testimony to the character and 
mission of Jesus. Seeing Jesus coming to him, he said : 
" Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of 
the world ! This is He of whom I said : After me cometh 
a man which is preferred before me ; for He was before 
me. And I knew Him not ; but that He should be made 
manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with 
water. I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a 
dove, and it abode upon Him. And I knew Him not ; 
but He that sent me to baptize with water, said unto me : 
Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and re- 
maining on Him, the same is He which baptizeth with the 
Holy Ghost. And I saw and bare record that this is the 
Son of God."f 

These words of John are so full of meaning that they 
call for particular consideration. His opening exclama- 
tion was prompted in part, by the personal appearance of 
Jesus, and in part by a prophetic insight into His character 

*John v. 32, 33. t John v. 29-34 



JESUS AT BETHABARA. 151 

and mission. There was stamped upon His features, and 
expressed in every motion, that calmness, gentleness, 
lowliness and purity, which, when the Baptist saw Him 
approaching, naturally led him to exclaim, "Behold the 
Lamb of God." The figure was both apt and striking. 
His appearance was lamblike. But, it was prophetic illu- 
mination which led John to add that expressive clause : 
" which tal^th away the sin of the world." " Here," says 
John, " is the spotless victim whose blood shall expiate 
human guilt; here is the true sacrifice; the true atone- 
ment." He then announces the dignity of Christ's person. 
He "is a man who is preferred before me; for He was 
before me," — language which finds its key only in the 
divinity of Jesus. John, without doubt, intends to affirm 
our Lord's preexistence as a divine person. From the 
study of the Old Testament prophecies, as well as from 
immediate inspiration, he had learned that Jesus was not 
a mere man ; that, while He was born of a woman, in 
time, His goings forth were from eternity; — that, while 
He was the Son of Man, He was also the Son of God ; 
for such he styles Him: "This is the Son of God." 
"Nor," adds John, "is this a mere natural impression, 
made on my mind by long and familiar personal ac- 
quaintance. I knew Him not, but recognized Him by 
a sign from heaven, given me when He came to be bap- 
tized. I saw the heavens opened and the spirit descend- 
ing in the shape-of a dove and remaining on Him, and I 
knew then that He was the long expected Messiah." 
Thus the testimony of John to the Messiahship of Jesus 
carries all the force and authority of prophetic insight. 

We can not do justice to the character of John the 
Baptist, without noticing the noble, unselfish spirit which 
he evinces throughout these transactions. Exalted in his 
prophetic mission, gifted with extraordinary powers, and 
attended with astonishing popularity, he looks upon the 



152 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

meek and lowly Jesus with no feeling of rivalry. He 
humbly defers to His superior worthiness ; he joyfully 
seizes upon every opportunity to proclaim Him as the 
Messiah, — the King; he readily surrenders to Him his 
best and dearest disciples. Humble, faithful, mighty 
prophet, the more we see of him, the more we realize the 
truth of the Saviour's words : " Among them that are 
born of women, there hath not arisen a greate#than John 
the Baptist." * We shall meet him in this history but 
once or twice more ; but we shall find him always the 
same firm, self-denying, faithful prophet of God, " fulfill- 
ing his course " even in prison and in martyrdom. 

The next day John standing with two of his disciples, 
sees Jesus walking, and calls their attention to Him. Let 
us imagine the scene, and note the characters. There is 
the Baptist, clad in his coarse garment of camel's hair ; 
his pale face gleaming with an awful inspiration, every 
feature and every motion expressing intense and solemn 
earnestness, — his whole aspect and manner marking him 
as a man dead to all worldly hopes, aims and passions. 
Near him stood his two disciples, — young men, dressed 
in the humble garb of fishermen, from the shores of Lake 
Gennesareth. One of them is Andrew, the son of Jonas, 
better known as the brother of Simon, who was distin- 
guished among his humble associates for his extraordinary 
energy, vehemence and courage. His companion is a 
young man of calm and thoughtful countenance, irradi- 
ated with the spirit of wisdom, love and devotion. His 
name is not given ; but we are quite sure that this is 
John the son of Zehedee. 

And now a fourth person comes into view. John be- 
holds Jesus walking at a little distance, and gazing upon 
Him with affectionate reverence, exclaims, " Behold the 

* Matthew xi. 11. 



JESUS AT BETHABAKA. 153 

Lamb of God." The two fishermen, struck both with the 
words of John and the appearance of Jesus, reverently 
approach our Lord, and address Him: "Master, where 
dwellest Thou?" # He kindly replies : " Come and see."t 
They accompany Him to His temporary abode, and re- 
main with Him till the close of the day; that is to say, 
about two hours. Our Lord, who has hitherto appeared 
only as a silent actor, now comes upon the stage as a 
teacher; He commences His work. What transpired 
during His interview with these two Galileans, is not re- 
corded. His conference with them, however, determined 
their after career. From this time they became His dis- 
ciples, and were subsequently called to be apostles. John, 
if indeed it was he, was chosen by Jesus as his bosom 
friend; he became "that disciple whom Jesus loved." 
And it is interesting to know that he who outlived all 
the other apostles, was perhaps the first who sustained 
towards Jesus the relation of disciple. 

This interview of Jesus with the two disciples led to 
important results. Andrew, who seems to have believed 
with all his heart, yearned to bring his friends to his new 
Master. He first of all seeks his brother Simon, who is 
also at Bethabara, and when he has found him, tells him 
the joyful news: "'We have found the Messiah.' $ He 
has come ! He is here at Bethabara ! We have seen 
Him ! I was with Him two hours last evening ! You 
must come and see Him ; for to see Him is to believe on 
Him and love Him." Simon is smitten with wonder and 
curiosity. He accompanies his brother to Jesus, who re- 
ceives him graciously, saying, "Thou art Simon the son 
of Jona; thou shalt be called Cephas ;"§ that is to say, 
men shall call thee the Man of Bock. This address 
must have filled Simon with astonishment. How far he 

* John i. 38. f John i. 39. JJohn i. 41. § John i. 42. 



154 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

was led to believe on Jesus, at this time, is uncertain ; 
but we know that soon afterwards he became His con- 
stant follower. For the present, however, he and his 
brother Andrew return to their boats and their nets. 

Having now accomplished His work at Bethabara, our 
Lord determined to return to Galilee. He had made 
a beginning, although, to human view, one exceedingly 
small and unpromising. Of all John's disciples, He had 
found but three of susceptible and believing minds. 
Either on His way to Galilee, or after He had reached 
His destination, He fell in with Philip, who resided in 
Bethsaida, on the northern shore of the Sea of Tiberias, 
and who was, in fact, a fellow townsman of Andrew and 
Peter. Jesus said to him : " Follow me." * The call was 
effectual. Philip immediately engaged in the work of 
bringing others to Jesus. Falling in with Nathanael, 
of the neighboring village of Cana, Philip says to him: 
"We have found Him of whom Moses in the law and 
the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth." t Nathanael, 
though a good man, is under the influence of local preju- 
dice. "Nazareth!" he exclaims; "Can any good thing 
come out of Nazareth?" t Philip answers, "Come and 
see." As they approached our Lord, He looked with 
kindness and complacency on His new visitor. "Behold," 
said He, "an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile ;"§ that 
is to say, a Jew inwardly as well as outwardly; in the 
spirit as well as in the letter. Surprised at this recogni- 
tion and address, Nathanael asks: "Whence knowest thou 
me?" Jesus replies: "Before that Philip called thee, 
when thou wast under the fig-tree, I saw thee." || Struck 
with sudden conviction that this is indeed the Messiah, 
Nathanael exclaims: "Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God; 
Thou art the King of Israel."^ His prejudices against 

* John i. 43. fjohni. 45. $ John i. 46. 

§John i. 47. II John i. 48. IT John i. 49. 



JESUS AT BETHABARA. 155 

Nazareth are all dissipated ; Jesus has given him a proof 
of supernatural knowledge which is beyond all contro- 
versy 3 and he at once confesses his new-born faith. Jesus, 
in His reply, admonishes him that he is yet only in the 
first stage of faith. " Because I said unto thee, I saw thee 
under the fig-tree, belie vest thou ? Thou shalt see greater 
things than these. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, here- 
after ye shall see the heavens opened, and the angels of 
God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."* 
" Nathanael was to see greater things than this isolated 
ray of the supernatural. He was to learn Christ as Him 
through whom human nature was to be glorified ; through 
whom the locked-up heavens were to be again opened, 
and the communion between heaven and earth restored ; 
to whom and from whom all the powers of heaven were 
to flow." t Nathanael becomes henceforth a disciple, and 
in due time an apostle, under his surname of Bartholomew. 
This portion of our history is in several aspects highly 
suggestive. We can not but notice the noiseless and un- 
ostentatious manner in which Jesus commences His work. 
He makes no loud proclamation of Himself or His mission ; 
He does not assail and overwhelm the scribes and Phari- 
sees with the wisdom and eloquence of set discourses ; He 
does not astonish and captivate the multitude by the 
splendor of His miracles. On the contrary, He waits pa- 
tiently at Bethabara, for some quiet opportunity of doing 
good in private. ' Almost directly pointed out to His mes- 
sengers from Jerusalem, He gives no responsive sign, no 
manifestation of His glory. When approached by the 
two inquirers to whom John had privately disclosed Him, 
He withdraws with them into the seclusion of His abode, 
and brings them to a conviction of His Messiahship, not 
by signs from heaven, but by personal instruction and 

* John i. 50, 51. fNeander's "Life of Christ," page 165. 



156 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

persuasion. Indeed, the tribute which He pays to the su- 
periority of private, personal effort for the salvation of 
souls, over all public ministrations, is most significant. 
Equally striking, too, is the testimony He bears to the 
real dignity and worth of the humbler agencies, — those 
which men are so prone either to overlook or to treat 
with positive contempt. Not the mighty, not the noble, 
did He call to be His earliest companions and disciples, 
but He chose rather a . the weak things of the world to con- 
found the wise." His first followers and co-laborers were 
taken from the humbler class, perhaps the humblest of 
all, — simple fishermen. 

Now, why all this ? It would not have been godlike in 
Him to do otherwise. Jesus, the Word made flesh, the 
Almighty Son of God in human form, lived and worked ac- 
cording to the laws and perfections of the divinity dwelling 
within Him. God's works are never noisy or obtrusive. 
His almightiness goes forth in creation and providence 
with silent though irresistible tread. The heavens and 
the earth are full of His wisdom and power, but their 
manifestations are seen only by the eye 

" That deaf and silent reads the eternal deep, 
Haunted forever by the Eternal Mind." 

It is God's fashion of wording, to operate through the 
simpler and less imposing agencies, and to proceed from 
small beginnings, through insensible or unnoted stages, to 
wondrous and sublime results. And as He works thus in 
creation and providence, so also in redemption. 

In perfect harmony with this divine method was the 
course pursued by Jesus. That He chose such a course, 
was proof of His oneness with the Father ; — of His true 
divinity. He Himself said on one occasion ; " My Father 
worketh hitherto, and I work ; " * and when carefully con- 

* John v. 17. 



JESUS AT BETHABARA. 157 

sidered, His works appear to have been patterned after 
the works of God; — to be of a piece with them. He, 
therefore, who does not see in this feature of Christ's life 
and labors a proof of divinity, is blind indeed. He who 
can consider it well, and yet call Jesus an impostor, is little 
less than a madman. No impostor would have begun the 
work of converting the human family to a new religion, — 
of changing the spiritual condition of the world, in such 
self-abnegating silence and privacy. Nor would he have 
called to his aid, in this stupendous enterprise, such 
humble instrumentalities as these uneducated fishermen 
of Galilee. That Jesus did all this is more wonderful, 
more God-like than His greatest miracles. 



CHAPTER II. 
THE MARRIAGE AT CANA OF GALILEE. 

JESUS IN PERFECT SYMPATHY WITH HUMANITY — HIS PRESENCE AT THE 
MARRIAGE AT CANA — HALLOWS THE INSTITUTION OF MARRIAGE — CANA, 
AND THE UNKNOWN FAMILY CELEBRATING THE WEDDING — THE INVITED 
GUESTS — MARY AT THE MARRIAGE FEAST — THE WANT OF WINE, AND 
MARY'S SUGGESTION TO JESUS — THE REPLY OF JESUS — THE MIRACU- 
LOUS PRODUCTION OF THE WINE — THE REALITY OF THE MIRACLE — 
GENERAL UNREASONABLENESS OF SCEPTICISM ON THIS SUBJECT — 
NECESSITY FOR THE MIRACLE — ITS SYMBOLICAL MEANING. 

When the eternal Son of God became, by His incarna- 
tion, the Son of Man, it was not His purpose to disturb, 
much less to abolish, the natural relations and institutions 
of society, but rather to hallow and glorify them. He 
came to make the whole life of man on earth pure and 
blessed and heavenly. Instead of withdrawing Himself 
from His brethren, as if disgusted by their folly and wick- 
edness, He freely mingled with them, not only in the 
synagogue and in the temple, but also in the street and 
in the market-place ; not only at funerals, but in festive 
assemblies. He manifested, at all times, a genuine sym- 
pathy with men in their struggles and trials, their disap- 
pointments and failures, their hopes and victories, their 
social pleasures and domestic joys. We are not surprised, 
therefore, when we find our Lord in attendance on a mar- 
riage feast. The fact, besides revealing the largeness of 
His sympathy with mankind, has a special significance 
which is worthy of careful consideration. He well knew 



THE MARRIAGE AT CANA. 159 

that the time would come when many of His disciples — 
when many calling themselves His priests — would dispar- 
age and denounce the marriage state as impure, or at 
least, less pure than a life of celibacy. Such a perversion 
of the spirit and precepts of the gospel should have no 
countenance from His words or His example. His pres- 
ence at a wedding invests the institution of marriage 
with peculiar sanctity and honor. 

A few miles north of Nazareth, and west of Lake Tibe- 
rias, on a rounded eminence, overlooking toward the south 
a wide and fertile plain, are the ruins of a village still 
called by the natives, " Cana of Galilee." In that village 
resided, in the time of our Lord, a family which was on 
terms of intimacy with that of Mary. Little is known 
of it; even the name of the family is not given. That 
they were in humble circumstances, is quite clear from 
the fact that artisans and fishermen were among the in- 
vited guests, and also from the scarcity of provisions for 
the feast. In this humble family, an event of no ordinary 
interest was about to occur. One of its members, whose 
name is not given, was to bring home a bride. The occa- 
sion was one of great rejoicing. From far and wide, they 
had called together their acquaintance and kinsfolk to 
share with them in the festivities of the day. Among 
the invited guests were Jesus and Mary, with the little 
group of His disciples. 

The presence of Mary is a matter of peculiar interest. 
For more than thirty years, the recollection of wondrous 
visions, of angelic salutations, of prophetic promises, and 
above all of that marvellous event which had made her 
blessed among women, — all these had kept alive in her 
heart one great divine hope. She had doubtless longed, 
perhaps with some impatience, — for the manifestation of 
her Son as the Messiah. She was now evidently expect- 
ing some speedy demonstration of His divinity, — some 



160 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

miraculous revelation of His glory. To this expectation 
she had been led by many signs and wonders, and perhaps 
by some intimation given by Jesus himself. A special 
presentiment seems to have pointed her to this marriage 
feast as the chosen time. 

The guests are all assembled. According to the custom 
of the Jews, as well as of the Greeks and Romans, one of 
the number is chosen to preside as " Governor of the 
Feast;" a feast spread, not in a palace, but in a cottage; 
not with costly luxuries, but with such cheap yet delicious 
viands as supply the tables of those who live in the land 
of the fig, the olive and the vine. The guests gather 
around the board, and doubtless indulge in such cheerful 
conversation and innocent hilarity as are appropriate to 
the occasion. Jesus is among them. The evangelist says 
nothing of His appearance ; but we may imagine Him sit- 
ting there, calm, gentle, holy, uttering words of sweetest 
wisdom, as the tone of the conversation or the incidents 
of the feast permit. 

After the feasting had gone on for some time, the wine 
upon the table was exhausted, and there was a call for 
more. The call was embarrassing to the host and his 
family; either from their poverty, or because the number 
of the guests was greater than had been expected, they 
had provided an insufficient quantity. At this juncture, 
Mary, who was at home in the family, and who had learned 
the cause of the embarrassment, went to Jesus, as she had 
doubtless been wont to do whenever she wanted counsel, 
and said to Him, as it would seem aside from the hearing 
of the company : " They have no wine." There was more 
in this than the words seemed to express. Our Lord evi- 
dently understood her as suggesting the proper course for 
Him to pursue, — as hinting the propriety of His providing 
a miraculous supply. 
. As this was the beginning of His miracles, Jesus seized 



THE MARRIAGE AT CAN A. 161 

upon the occasion to impress on the minds of those near- 
est Him a leading principle of His ministry. He apprised 
His mother that He must not perform these mighty works 
at her suggestion; He must act, not as the Son of Mary, 
but as the Son of God. " Woman," said He, " what have 
I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come." As 
compared with our modern style of address, these words 
seem abrupt and even harsh. They are, however, though 
slightly admonitory, perfectly mild and respectful. A 
similar style was used by Jesus when, as he was expiring 
upon the cross, He said to His mother : " Woman, behold 
thy son." Surely, His feeling and intention at that time 
must have been the farthest possible from displeasure or 
unkindness. When, then, Jesus says: "What have I to 
do with thee?" we must understand Him to mean simply: 
"In matters of this kind, there is nothing common be- 
tween us; in working miracles, I cannot act under thy 
advice. Besides, the time for me to interpose has not yet 
arrived : of that, I must be sole judge." That the words 
of Jesus were kindly spoken, is evident from the conduct 
of Mary. Notwithstanding her seeming repulse, she 
evinces no doubt that her implied request will be granted ; 
this appears from the direction she gave the servants to 
obey the commands of Jesus. 

There were at this time standing in the house, six empty 
vessels or jars of stone, holding about twenty gallons each. 
These vessels were used, in accordance with Jewish cus- 
toms, in religious ablutions. Jesus directed the servants 
to fill these vessels with water. When they had filled 
them to the brim, He said to them: "Draw out now, and 
bear unto the governor of the feast." * Having tasted of 
the wine before distributing to the guests, as was His duty, 
the governor, being entirely ignorant of what had been 



* John ii. 8. 
11 



162 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

going on, called out to the bridegroom, saying in substance r 
"Most men bring on their best wine at the beginning of 
the feast; and, when their guests, having drunk some- 
what largely, have either sated their appetites, or become 
less critical in their taste, they bring forward wines of a 
poorer sort. But you have reversed the order, and kept 
the most delicious wine till the last." It thus appears 
that in obedience to the divine will in Jesus, the water 
which had been put in the six vessels of stone, had be- 
come wine. 

Of the reality of the miracle, thus wrought, the facts 
leave no doubt. There was no room for collusion. The 
wine had been exhausted: the stone vessels had been filled 
with water by the servants : the governor of the feast had 
borne testimony that when it was drawn again from the 
vessels, it was wine. The miracle was so clear and palpa- 
ble that His disciples, it is said, " believed on Him." Thej r 
had begun to believe before; — some of them at Bethabara, 
others in Galilee, — but now their faith was greatly enlarged 
and strengthened. " This beginning of miracles did Jesus 
in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory."* 

Doubtless, this miracle of the transmutation of water 
into wine will seem to some minds encumbered with diffi- 
culties. The fact is not to be disguised, that there are 
those who are so thoroughly imbued with the materialism 
of the age, that they stumble at the miraculous element, — 
the siipernaturalism, — of the four gospels. So far as the 
biography of Jesus comes within the range of ordinary 
experience, they can read it with delight, for they are 
deeply impressed with the originality, beauty and power 
of His personal character; and they admire the singular 
purity, wisdom, and majesty of His discourses. But, in- 
fected with the prejudices of an age which honors a Car- 

* John ii. 11. 



THE MAEEIAGE AT CAtfA. 163 

lyle, a Ralph Waldo Emerson, and a Theodore Parker, 
they have secret misgivings as to His miracles ; — they are 
disposed to regard them as the inventions of credulity and 
superstition. 

Now, it is not my intention to enter here into any dis- 
cussion of the nature or probability of miracles. The 
general subject has been elsewhere sufficiently considered. 
It is enough to say that the difficulties which appear in 
the miracle in question all dissolve with the dissolution 
of the prejudice against miracles in general. Of the 
nature of the particular miracle in question, it has been 
forcibly said by that most thoughtful writer, Archbishop 
Trench: "Like most acts of creation, or more strictly 
of becoming, this of the water becoming wine is with- 
drawn from sight, and the actual process of the change 
we labor in vain to conceive. And yet, in truth, it is in 
no way stranger, save in the rapidity with which it is ef- 
fected, than that which is every day going forward among 
us, but to which use and custom have so dulled our eyes 
that we commonly do not marvel at all, and, because we 
can call it by its name, suppose we have discovered its 
secret. He who does, every year, prepare the wine in the 
grape, causing it to drink up and expand with the moist- 
ure of earth and heaven, to take this up into itself, and 
transmute it into its own nobler juices, did now gather 
together all those slower processes into the act of a single 
moment, and accomplish in an instant what He ordinarily 
accomplishes in many months. This analogy does not, 
indeed, help us to understand what our Lord did now, but 
yet brings before us, that in this, He was working in 
the line of His more ordinary workings — which we see 
daily around us, the miracle of every day nature." # This 
train of thought is sufficient to show the unreasonableness 

* Trench on Miracles, pp. 90, 91. 



164 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

of the prejudice against miracles in general, and the ob- 
jections against this one in particular. 

Beyond these more general considerations, this miracle 
bore a peculiar relation to the mission of Jesus. It was, 
as the first of His mighty works, necessary to His self-rev- 
elation. The evangelist fitly styles it the manifestation 
of His glory. Jesus appeared in form and fashion as a 
man. "Without such a manifestation of His supernatural 
power, no one would have believed in His divinity. Only 
through some such mighty work could the indwelling 
glory flash forth to human view. This revelation of Him- 
self was therefore necessary to His just reception among 
men. Without it, His labors would have been followed 
by no proper discipleship. Only by His miracles, were 
the minds of men made susceptible of enlightenment by 
His teachings. They awakened attention, excited rever- 
ence and awe, and prepared the way for the exercise of a 
full and firm faith. As John clearly intimates, because 
of them His disciples believed on Him. Nor is their in- 
fluence confined to them. As we look back over the life 
of Jesus, and find among His works not only miracles, 
but the very miracles which we should expect to be 
wrought by a God incarnate, — miracles of blended power, 
wisdom, and love ; we also are constrained to believe that 
in Him, u we have found the Messiah, which is, being in- 
terpreted, the Christ." 

As this was the beginning of miracles, it is not unrea- 
sonable to look to find in it a prophetic and symbolical 
meaning. ■ It has, in fact, been regarded by commentators 
of every age, as intended to shadow forth the great design 
of Christ's mission. His desire was to change water into 
wine, in more senses than one. He came, not to destroy, 
but to fulfil ; — to raise nature into virtue, natural pleasure 
into spiritual blessedness ; fallen humanity into the fellow- 
ship of God and the hope of glory; to ennoble, beautify, 



THE MARRIAGE AT CANA. 165 

and enrich the whole of man's life, by infusing into it a 
new and heaven-born element of love and religion. This 
wine of heaven, into which Jesus transmutes our poor 
human life, unlike that of earth is not soon exhausted, 
and leaves no sting behind it, but grows more full and 
fragrant and precious, as life wears on toward the moment 
when, having put on immortality, we shall drink the new 
wine with Him in His father's kingdom. 



CHAPTEE III. 



FIRST JOURNEY OF JESUS TO JERUSALEM AND THE 

TEMPLE. 



JESUS GOES TO CAPERNAUM — CAPERNAUM AND THE VICINITY — THE VALE 
OF GENNESARET — THE SOJOURN AT CAPERNAUM — JESUS GOES TO JERU- 
SALEM — JERUSALEM AND THE TEMPLE — THE MULTITUDE AT THE 
PASSOVER — CONVERTED GENTILES PRESENT — AGITATION OF THE MUL- 
TITUDE — THE MESSIAH LN THE CITY AND THE TEMPLE, BUT UNRECOG- 
NIZED. 

Aftee the miracle at Cana, Jesus, accompanied by His 
mother and His brethren, and by the few disciples who 
had already clustered round Him, went down to Caper- 
naum, which became the centre of His subsequent labors 
in Galilee. Capernaum lies on the north-western side of 
Lake Gennesaret, and is sunk a thousand feet below the 
level of the elevated plain which surrounds it. The view 
from the western hills adjacent, is said to be very striking. 
The traveler sees far below him a blue sheet of fresh 
water, some thirteen miles long, and in the broadest parts, 
six or seven miles wide ; its deep depression is a volcanic 
basin, giving it something of that strange, unnatural char- 
acter which belongs in a still greater degree to the Dead 
Sea. The eastern highlands slope abruptly to the water's 
edge, forming a lofty wall extending the entire length of 
the lake. On the west, the range of hills starting from 
the coast, at the southern extremity, trends first westward, 
and then to the north-east, growing constantly more 



. 



JESUS AT JEKUSALEM AKD THE TEMPLE. 167 

rounded and beautiful, till, as a gentle elevation, it again 
touches the lake. 

In the recess formed by these encircling hills, lies the 
sacred plain or vale of Gennesaret, about seven miles in 
length by three or four in breadth. It is described by all 
who have seen it, as a natural paradise. Well watered 
by perennial fountains and rivulets, with a soil of unsur- 
passed fertility, and a climate that favors the production 
of tropical fruits as well as those of the temperate zone, 
it is even now famous for its exuberant fruitfulness and 
beauty. In the time of Christ it was thickly studded 
with flourishing villages, embowered in palm groves, vine- 
yards, and olive orchards. The population, — which con- 
tained a large Gentile element, — was numerous and emi- 
nently thrifty, subsisting upon the productions of the soil, 
and the fish of the lake, and enriching itself by commerce 
with the neighboring towns. Magdala, Dalmanutha, Ca- 
pernaum, Bethsaicla, and Chorazin, must have constituted 
an almost continuous city. 

Our Lord sojourned but a few days at Capernaum. 
While there, He seems neither to have wrought miracles, 
nor to have delivered any public discourses* He probably 
spent the time in private intercourse with His disciples, 
the majority of whom resided in the immediate vicinity. 
Andrew and Peter, James and John, Philip and Nathanael, 
must have had the blessed privilege of listening to the 
early discourses of Him who had been already manifested 
to them as the "Son of God and the King of Israel." 
Perhaps, besides these, a large number of women were 
already drawn to Him, among whom was Salome, the 
wife of Zebedee. Thus, there was gathered about our 
Lord, a company of young men, with their mothers and 
sisters, who felt in their hearts the dawn of the divine 

*See Andrews' " Life of Christ," page 156. For the opposite view, see 
Lange's " Life of Christ," volume 2, page 298. 



1G8 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

morning which was breaking over the world. It was 
indeed a fresh and glorious youth which was taking pos- 
session of the earth. 

The time was at hand when Jesus purposed to make a 
public demonstration of His divine power and authority. 
The great feast of the Passover, which was soon to be 
celebrated, would furnish a fitting occasion. A large part 
of the nation would then be congregated at Jerusalem. 
Proposing to manifest Himself to Israel, in that "great 
congregation," Jesus at length set out on His first mem- 
orable journey to Jerusalem. The incidents of the jour- 
ney are not recorded. Doubtless it was made on foot, in 
company with His disciples, and probably also with His 
mother and His brethren. The time was filled up with 
heavenly discourse, and with the singing of psalms, with 
which devout Israelites seem to have refreshed themselves, 
on the way to the Holy City. 

As Jesus drew near to Jerusalem, what a spectacle of 
grandeur and beauty must have burst on His vision. 
That city was then in its noon-day glory, and ranked 
among the most splendid in the world. Its population 
was enormous, and its wealth beyond computation. It 
was the metropolis, not only of Palestine, but also of the 
millions of Jews dispersed throughout the whole world, 
who were continually bringing and sending the richest 
gifts to the temple. So great indeed had been the influx 
of gold, previous to the time of Herod, that the priests 
were at a loss how to dispose of it. They used immense 
quantities in useless if not puerile ornaments. There was, 
for example, a large beam of solid gold, enclosed in wood. 
The great portico was gorgeous with an immense golden 
vine, heavy with clusters. The treasury was always full 
to overflowing. Herod employed this incredible wealth 
in rebuilding the temple and embelhshing it with such 
works of art as the law did not expressly forbid. It was 



JESUS AT JERUSALEM AND THE TEMPLE. 169 

a marvellous structure. With its stupendous outer wall, 
its lofty " Gate Beautiful," wrought of Corinthian brass, 
its pillared cloisters, its outer court, its central edifice, the 
temple proper, covered with gold, and blazing like an 
earthly sun, — the whole was the wonder of the world, and 
the Israelite's peculiar pride and joy. Thither the tribes 
went up thrice a year to worship. But at the Passo- 
ver feast, the city, — paved with marble, and built in a 
style of corresponding magnificence, — was thronged with 
a "multitude which no man could number." It is com- 
puted that this feast drew together, in addition to the 
permanent population, not less than a million of human 
beings. Many of these were from remote lands. Arabia, 
Parthia, Mesopotamia, perhaps India and China; Egypt, 
Ethiopia, Nubia, Abyssinia; the parts of Libya about 
Cyrene ; Asia Minor, Greece, Italy, Gaul and Spain ; every 
part of the world sent up caravans of pilgrims to the 
Holy and Beautiful City, — all wearing the costumes and 
speaking the dialects of the several countries from which 
they came. 

In this vast concourse, were thousands of "devout 
strangers," not of the seed of Abraham. It is a matter of 
history, that the Jewish religion had been making rapid 
progress among Gentile nations, for several generations 
before Christ. Even kings and queens were among the 
proselytes who sometimes worshipped in the temple-courts. 
The glowing prophecies of Isaiah had already been liter- 
ally, though not finally and completely fulfilled. Perhaps, 
as our Lord made His way through the throng of strangers, 
He was reminded of the words of the prophet : " Lift up 
thine eyes round about and see ; all they gather them- 
selves together; they come to thee; thy sons shall come 
from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. 
Then thou shalt see and flow together, and thy heart shall 
fear and be enlarged, because the abundance of the sea 



170 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

shall be converted unto thee ; the forces of the Gentiles 
shall come unto thee. The multitude of camels shall 
cover thee ; the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah j all 
they from Sheba shall come ; they shall bring gold and 
incense ; and they shall show forth the praises of the 
Lord. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered unto 
thee : the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee. 
Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as doves to their 
windows ? Surely, the isles shall wait for thee, and the 
ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their 
silver and gold with them, unto the name of the Lord thy 
God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because He hath 
glorified thee." These predictions were fulfilled to the 
letter, at every Passover during our Lord's ministry. 

This immense multitude, now crowding the city of Je- 
rusalem, and covering the neighboring hills with their en- 
campments, found the people of Palestine agitated, — 
almost convulsed, with a great national excitement. For 
many months a mighty prophet had been preaching and 
baptizing, saying, " Repent ; for the kingdom of heaven is 
at hand." Nay, he had lately, it was said, declared pub- 
licly to members of the Sanhedrim, that the Messiah had 
already come ; that He was even then in the land, ming- 
ling with the people, though they knew Him not. A 
vague hope was throbbing in all hearts, that the long- 
expected Heir of David would soon appear. Might He 
not appear at this very feast ? What more fit occasion for 
so august an event? These questions, doubtless, passed 
from one to another. Thus the agitation extended from 
the Jews to the proselytes and strangers, until the whole 
vast concourse was tossing with excitement. 

The Heir of David was indeed there, though He was 
unrecognized by the multitude. He had passed through 
the streets of the city ; He had entered the precincts of 
the temple ; He was in the midst of the multitude to 



JESUS AT JERUSALEM AND THE TEMPLE 171 

whom His presence was so full of divine promise; but 
none beheld in Him the " Messenger of the covenant," 
spoken of by the prophet.* Worldly and unspiritual, 
how could they discern the Son of God in the meek 
Galilean youth, upon whom only a few poor fishermen 
were in waiting ? 

Malachi iii. 1. 



CHAPTEE IV. 
JESUS PURIFIES THE TEMPLE. 

THE TRAFFICKERS IN THE TEMPLE — JESUS DRIVES THEM FROM THE TEM- 
PLE — JESUS CHALLENGED TO SHOW A MIRACULOUS SIGN — REASON FOR 
HIS REFUSAL TO DO SO — HIS REPLY — SIGNIFICANCE OF HIS LANGUAGE 
— CONDITION OF THE HUMAN TEMPLE — GOD'S PURPOSE TO RE-EDIFY 
IT — MEANS REQUISITE, AND SYMBOLS EMPLOYED — CONSEQUENT MEAN- 
ING of Christ's language, applied to himself — as applied to 

THE CHURCH — FURTHER LABORS OF JESUS AT JERUSALEM. 

It would be deeply interesting to know what were the 
emotions of Jesus, as He thus entered the vast arena 
called the " Courts of the Temple," and stood amidst the 
multitude on this august occasion. Of this we know 
nothing, save that He appears not to have been so much 
struck with the sight of that sea of human beings, as with 
the strange spectacle which met His gaze in another part 
of the sacred enclosure. There were congregated, not 
reverent Israelites, intent upon the imposing rites of the 
temple-service ; not devout and expectant children of the 
promise, waiting for the glorious manifestation of their 
King ; but flocks and herds, buyers and sellers, money- 
brokers and dealers in doves ; indeed, all the frequenters 
and appointments of a regular market. The eager, noisy 
huckstering went on in sight of the great altar, and of the 
awful rites of sacrifice. It would seem that the concourse 
of such a vast multitude, many of them from distant lands, 
and the consequent demand for victims for the altar, had 
created a very lucrative trade ; and that, for greater con- 






PURIFICATION OF THE TEMPLE. 173 

venience, the dealers had established themselves in the 
court of the Gentiles, reasoning, perhaps, that animals in- 
tended for sacrifice were less impure and offensive to Je- 
hovah than the uncircumcised heathen. And for this 
reason, perhaps, the Pharisees, from whose superstitious 
reverence for the temple some opposition to the desecra- 
tion might have been anticipated, either connived at it or 
openly approved it. Possibly, they regarded the Gentiles 
as standing on a level with unclean beasts, while the 
sacrificial animals served for purification. It was, there- 
fore, quite in accordance with the spirit of Pharisaism, 
that those animals were allowed to exclude the Gentiles 
from their court. # 

This open and shameless profanation of the house of 
the living God, kindles in the soul of Jesus divine indig- 
nation. He is in His Father's house ; He is rightful Lord 
and Master here ; and He will give a demonstration of 
His authority. While the merchants and money-changers 
pursue their sacrilegious occupations, they are suddenly 
startled by the approach of a youthful stranger, on whose 
form and features are stamped superhuman power, maj- 
esty and holiness. He holds in His right hand a scourge, 
with which like a prophet of old, He seems to threaten 
them with divine judgments. They are smitten with 
supernatural terror. They have no thought of resistr 
ing; but as our Lord advances they fall back; they 
fly from the holy place, expelled by a presence which 
cows and paralyzes their guilty souls. The sheep and 
oxen are driven out of the temple, and the tables of 
the money-changers are overthrown. The sellers of 
doves, treated with less severity, perhaps, because doves 
were the offerings of the poor, — are sternly bidden to 
depart. a Take these things hence," says this Divine Lord 

*Lange's "Life of Christ," volume 2, page 299. 



174 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

of the temple ; "make not My Father's house a house of 
merchandise." 

Upon these unwonted proceedings the multitude look 
with silent amazement : Pharisees and Sadducees are awe- 
struck and speechless ; priests and scribes are dumb : the 
officers of the temple are powerless to interfere. They 
recognize in every Jew the right to come forward as a 
zealot against illegal abuses ; and these acts of Jesus are 
therefore unforbidden. Only when all is over, a few gather 
courage to approach our Lord. " What sign," say they, 
"showest thou unto us, seeing that Thou doest these 
things?"* The question is natural, though the motive 
that prompted it may have been criminal. They see in 
Jesus the assumption of extraordinary authority. He 
evidently claims to be Lord of the temple. They seek 
to test His claims. Thus He is challenged in the temple 
itself, in the midst of the congregated nation, in the 
presence of the theocratic authorities, to give a miracu- 
lous demonstration of His Divine Mission. But He gives 
no such demonstration. The opportunity, seemingly the 
fittest of all, — the very one apparently sought by Him, — 
passes and He gives no sign. 

The reason for this is not far to seek. Had He wrought 
such a miracle as they demanded, — had He given them a 
sign from heaven, they would probably have accepted 
Him as their Messiah, proclaimed Him king on the spot, 
and demanded that He should instantly lead them against 
their Roman oppressors. Nor would it have availed for 
Him to protest against such violent measures, and to pro- 
pose the spiritual objects and plans of the gospel. They 
could not understand His person or mission ; they would 
have persisted in regarding Him as a Jewish prince and 
conqueror. Thus the temptation of the wilderness was 

* John ii. 18. 



PURIFICATION OF THE TEMPLE. 175 

repeated; thus a worldly kingdom was a second time 
offered and refused. 

Yet our Lord does give them a sign, though one which 
must have seemed to them unmeaning, evasive and even 
blasphemous: c Destroy this temple and in three days I 
will raise it up " # - This is undoubtedly one of the most 
pregnant and wonderful utterances that ever dropped from 
the lips of Christ Yet it was obscure, not to say enig- 
matical, to the most enlightened of those who heard it. 
The Jews having no conception of His meaning, said° 
" Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt 
Thou rear it up in three days?"f The disciples them- 
selves did not understand the saying till after the resur- 
rection. They did not, however, forget it Neither did 
His enemies ; for a distorted and malicious report of it con- 
stituted one of the accusations against Him, when He was 
arraigned before the Sanhedrim. The saying evidently 
made a deep impression on the popular mind; for the 
thieves who were crucified with Him, and the people who 
passed by, taunted Him, saying — " Thou that destroyest 
the temple and buildest it in three days, save thyself." $ 

The meaning of this mysterious saying has been grow- 
ing clearer with the lapse of ages ; and we are now ena- 
bled to see that it was the far-reaching and comprehensive 
utterance of One, who was at once the Son of man and the 
Son of God. Let us endeavor to seize its true meaning. 

It is not the concourse of multitudes even for the pur- 
pose of worship, which gives to any place or structure 
the character of a temple ; it is the immediate presence 
of God. Previous to the fall, the true temple of God was 
man, whose body was a consecrated outer court, whose 
soul was the sanctuary, with the ever-burning lamps, and 
the altar of incense, whose spirit was the holy of holies, 

*Jokn ii. 19. t John ii. 20 $Mark xv. 29, 30. 



176 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

illuminated with the indwelling shekinah. But, by the 
apostasy of our first parents, God was ejected from His 
chosen habitation, and man was left a mournful moral ruin. 
What was once the bright and serene dwelling of the 
Most High, became " the hold of every foul spirit, and a 
cage of every unclean and hateful bird." # The human 
world was forsaken of God ; and even the natural creation 
was dimmed by reason of man's rebellion, and of the di- 
vine displeasure. 

But God yearned after His temple, desolate and in ruins ; 
He looked with pity on His rebellious creature, ever wan- 
dering further and further from light and blessedness ; He 
determined to reclaim, purify, rebuild and adorn His lost 
habitation, and to return and dwell therein forever. That 
this might be, He would Himself come down into lapsed 
humanity, by the incarnation of His substantial Word; 
and would thus, by becoming man, make man His temple. 

Many ages elapsed before the accomplishment of this 
gracious purpose. The human race had sunk so low in 
moral depravity that " their foolish heart was darkened ; " 
they could not understand nor recognize the presence of 
God among them, till they had been carried through a 
long course of special training. It was necessary that 
men should be brought to think of God as dwelling per- 
sonally on earth. That was the purport of the whole 
ceremonial institute of Moses. The design of the taber- 
nacle, and afterwards of the temple, was typical and pro- 
phetic. It implied that God no longer dwelt in the hearts 
of men ; that they could not approach His throne or look 
upon His face and live ; and that no access could be had 
to His presence except in some way opened by His sover- 
eign good pleasure. At the end of the temple, beyond 
the awful veil, according to the conception of the Jew, 

* Revelations xviii. 2, 



PURIFICATION OF THE TEMPLE. 177 

dwelt 'jehovah in darkness and solitude. None might 
approach Him there except the consecrated High Priest, 
and he only at long intervals. And all this was a type 
of good things to come. That temple was a shadowy 
prophecy of the incarnation of God. It was a definite 
type of the body of Christ. That was its real and exclu- 
sive significance. The temple was, from the first, intended 
to represent and foreshow the personal incarnation of the 
eternal Son in Jesus of Nazareth. 

Thus then the meaning of our Lord's words — " Destroy 
this temple and I will raise it up in three days/' becomes 
apparent. The words evidently bear a two-fold meaning — 
a meaning within a meaning. The Jews had challenged 
Jesus to give them a sign : He meets their challenge with 
another, " Destroy ye this temple and I will raise it up in 
three days. That is to say, I have absolute power over 
the temple ; level it with the dust, and I will rebuild it in 
three days." They understood it as a profane boast ; but 
it was a saying which enveloped in the literal sense a 
wondrous inner meaning. The Jews did not accept His 
challenge ; they did not destroy their temple, which was 
but a shadow of the true ; but the latter — the temple* of 
the Lord's body, they did break down and destroy, when 
they crucified Him. And He kept His word — He gave 
the promised sign, when He rose from the dead. 

The risen and glorified body of Christ became the living 

corner-stone of the mighty spiritual temple, the church, 

thence called " His body, the fulness of Him that filleth 

all in all." The words of Jesus apply, in their widest 

scope, to this also. The temple of Jerusalem stood for 

the Old Covenant theocracy. Destroy ye this temple, this 

economy — this church of the Old Covenant, and I icill 

restore it under a new and more glorious form, in three 

days. The Jews did, in fact, destroy the temple, in that 

sense ; — that is to say, they put an end to the theocracy — 
12 



178 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

when they crucified the Lord; but He rebuilt it in His 
resurrection; for the church of the New Covenant, — 
which was the theocracy transfigured, — began to exist 
when its living Head came forth from the sepulchre. 

Though our Lord refused to show a sign in the temple, 
He wrought many miracles in Jerusalem during the feast ; 
and many, convinced of His divine authority, became His 
disciples. Wherever He went, He was a living fountain 
of healing virtue ; and " the Life was the light of men." 
Disease and spiritual darkness retreated from the sphere 
of His personal presence. 



CHAPTER V. 
JESUS AND NICODEMUS. 

GENERAL ATTENTION DIRECTED TO JESUS — ANTIPATHY OF THE LEADING 
CLASSES — EARNEST INTEREST OF THE JEW — NICODEMUS — HIS TIMIDITY 
AND DISTANCE WITH REGARD TO JESUS — HIS INWARD DESIRE FOR A 

CONFERENCE WITH HIM — HIS FEELINGS AS HE GOES TO MEET JESUS 

HIS OPENING ADDRESS AND THE REPLY OF JESUS — SIGNIFICANCE OF 

OUR LORD'S REPLY — PERPLEXITY OF NICODEMUS AS TO ITS MEANING 

HIS CAVILING REJOINDER — ANSWER OF JESUS — ITS FORCE AS REGARDS 
REGENERATION — ITS SIGNIFICANCE WITH REGARD TO BAPTISM — SPECIAL 
OBJECT OF JESUS IN INSISTING ON BAPTISM, IN THE CASE OF NICODE- 
MUS — OUR LORD'S FURTHER CONSIDERATION OF THE SPIRITUAL BIRTH 

INCREDULITY OF NICODEMUS — OUR LORD REBUKES HIS IGNORANCE 
AND SCEPTICISM — CLOSE OF THE CONFERENCE. 

The events narrated in the last chapter undoubtedly 
caused a great excitement at Jerusalem. The purification 
of the temple, in the midst of the great Passover festival, 
singularly bold and public as it was, — was peculiarly fitted 
to draw the attention of the nation and of the world to 
Jesus. The miracles that followed, some of which were 
probably wrought in public, were doubtless noised abroad, 
and thus added to the excitement. Hence, before the 
close of the Passover week, the new prophet from Galilee 
became the object of general curiosity. There is reason 
to believe that some had come to feel a deep and solemn 
interest in Him. The chief men among the Jews, how- 
ever, — the scribes and Pharisees, priests and rulers, — 
began to look upon Him with a suspicion already passing 
into settled hostility. Although He had not publicly as- 
sailed them, they felt that He was not of them ; and we 



ISO THE LIFE OF CHPJST. 

know that sects and hierarchies are both jealous and in- 
tolerant of those who dare to think and act with consci- 
entious independence. Nevertheless, they did not as yet 
openly oppose Him, partly because He was, to all appear- 
ance, a strict observer of the law, and partly because the 
belief was rapidly gaining ground among the common 
people, that He was a true prophet. What they did, 
therefore, was to keep aloof from Him, and give Him no 
countenance. 

There were, however, some devout and candid persons 
of the highest rank, who felt attracted to Christ. They 
were waiting for the kingdom of God ; and, though their 
conception of that kingdom was low and carnal, they 
hailed with joy every sign of its approach. The preach- 
ing of John the Baptist had been to them a welcome sig- 
nal of the Messiah's coming ; and now, the sudden ap- 
pearance of this new prophet, working mighty miracles, 
was a manifestation of God's purpose speedily to visit his 
people. Yet, for the most part, they cherished these hopes 
and aspirations in their own hearts, being afraid as yet, to 
commit themselves to what might prove a delusion. Be- 
sides this they stood in fear of their colleagues and fellow 
sectaries, many of whom were decided in their hostility 
to Jesus. 

Such a man was the Pharisee, Xicodemus, a member 
of the Sanhedrim, and a teacher of Israel,* standing there- 
fore in the highest rank. He was wealthy and honorable, 
and revered for his sanctity and wisdom.f Though we 

*Nicodemus has by some been identified with a certain Xicodemus Ben 
Gorion of the Talmud, who was a member of the Sanhedrim at this time. 
See Smith's Bible Dictionary, in loco. 

fNicodemus is called by Jesus, "the teacher of Israel," which may be, 
according to Erasmus, Winer, and Lange, a rhetorical use of the definite 
article. Scholl, however, identifies him with the "Wise Man" who sat at 
the left hand of the President in the Sanhedrim. See Lange's " Life of Christ," 
yolumo 2, pages 313, 314, note. 



NICODEMUS. 181 

have no notices of his previous life, we shall do him no 
injustice if we ascribe to him the opinions, prejudices, and 
modes of thought, inseparable from his sect and position. 
He doubtless prided himself on his descent from Abraham, 
and on the dignities and privileges to which that descent 
entitled him. He was looking for a Messiah who should 
re-establish in outward glory the fallen theocracy; and 
that Messiah he believed to be at hand. His worldly view 
was, doubtless, somewhat modified and elevated by spirit- 
ual longings for a kingdom of righteousness and peace. 
In Jesus, Nicodemus recognized, if not the Messiah, at 
least a true prophet. But he was deeply entangled in 
the perverted Messianic notions of his generation. He 
was, moreover, a timid man ; and to approach the youth- 
ful rabbi of Nazareth in public, would not only compromise 
his reputation as a teacher, but would draw upon him the 
suspicion, perhaps the active hostility of his associates of 
the Sanhedrim, and of the bigoted sect to which he be- 
longed. He, consequently, avoided any direct approach 
to the young Galilean stranger, and only heard Him in 
public as one of the excited multitude that witnessed His 
miracles and listened to His wonderful sayings. 

And yet this was not enough. With all his misgiving 
as to the mission of Jesus, and his fear of losing caste, 
this learned scribe, this " Master in Israel," was unable to 
remain thus at a distance as a mere speculative observer. 
He was profoundly interested and moved, and longed for 
an opportunity to open his heart to Jesus, and to receive 
from His lips more full and definite instruction. And 
Jesus, who was always tender of the very infirmities of 
earnest and candid inquirers, and who had divined his 
feelings and wishes, gave him the desired opportunity. 

And, so Nicodemus, probably by appointment, came to 
Jesus by night The visitor, as he passed through the 
deserted streets, must have felt himself agitated with 



182 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

strange and conflicting emotions. Perhaps some such 
train of thought as the following swept through his 
troubled mind : — " I hope this night to learn something 
about that glorious kingdom of which David, Isaiah, Dan- 
iel, Haggai, and Zechariah prophesied. Long has the 
chosen nation been oppressed and down-trodden ; long 
has the Holy City been insulted and desecrated by the 
presence and tyranny of the haughty Eoman ; long has • 
the prayer been going up from innumerable longing hearts 
"thy kingdom come;" just now, John the baptizer pro- 
claims that the Messiah is at hand ; nay, that He is already 
come. that He would manifest Himself to Israel ! 
that He would ascend the throne of David, expel the god- 
less oppressors of the holy seed, and reign in righteousness 
and glory on Mount Zion ! Lord, how long ? When, 
when will He appear ? I have waited and longed till my 
heart is sick and weary. Perhaps this youthful Galilean, 
who is certainly a prophet and teacher sent from God, will 
give rest and satisfaction to my agitated soul. What if 
He Himself is our long expected King ? There is in Him 
an unearthly majesty, a divine repose and authority which 
one would expect to see in the Messiah. Yet, how can it 
be ? — Messiah comes from Bethlehem, and this man is from 
Nazareth? Thus meditating, as is probable, Nicodemus 
reaches the place where Jesus awaits his coming. 

The conversation is opened by the visitor. " Eabbi, we 
know that thou art a teacher come from God ; for no man 
can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with 
Him." # It must be confessed that there is somewhat too 
much of patronizing courtesy in this address. Nicodemus 
is rather too conscious of his importance as a ruler and 
teacher, and of the dignity of the class to which he be- 
longs. He seems to speak for that class, and to assure 

* John iii. 2. 



NICODEMUS. 183 

Jesus of their favorable disposition towards Him. Yet he 
was not insincere ; and what he said was his apology for 
coming. He really believed in Jesus as a divinely author- 
ized teacher; and his acknowledgment was intended to 
prepare the way for certain questions which he was long- 
ing to ask. His heart was full of the kingdom of God ; 
but he deemed it indecorous to introduce the subject ab- 
ruptly. Our Lord, who knew what was in his heart, pro- 
ceeded at once to answer his thoughts rather than his 
words : " Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be 
born again," (or from above,) "he cannot see the kingdom 
of God." * 

Jesus saw that His aged interlocutor was so firmly rooted 
in the soil of legal worldliness, that he could not be won 
to the truth by didactic discourse. So he shattered his 
pharisaic pride and self-righteousness by a sudden light- 
ning-stroke. As if He had said ; " Nicodemus, you have 
come to inquire concerning the kingdom of God, of which 
you regard yourself as a citizen and heir ; but I, the true 
and faithful Witness, assure you that the nature of God's 
kingdom is such that no man — not merely no Gentile, but 
no man — not even a child of Abraham, can discern, much 
less possess it, unless he is new-born from above." 

Nicodemus was startled and perplexed. The idea of a 
new birth was not indeed new to him ; for, when a Gentile 
proselyte was received into the Old-Covenant church, he 
was said to be born again ; just as we say of a foreigner 
who becomes a citizen of the United States, he is natural- 
ized; that is to say, he is made a native citizen. But what 
meaning should we attach to the words of one who should 
say ; " No man, not even a native American, can become 
a citizen of the United States without being naturalized ? 
Just as little meaning could Nicodemus attach to the say- 

* John iii. 3. 



184 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

ing of our Lord concerning the necessity of a new birth, 
in order to admission into the kingdom of God. He re- 
garded himself as an heir of that kingdom by virtue of 
his descent from Abraham; he was not an alien, but a 
natural citizen ; how then could he be naturalized f How 
could he, by birth and circumcision a member of the the- 
ocratic nation, be born again? Perhaps, too, he was 
slightly irritated at being told abruptly that he, the wise 
ruler and teacher, the devout Pharisee, stood in need of 
a change so radical as a new birth clearly implied. 

Too shrewd and self-collected, however, to be thrown 
entirely off his guard, Nicodemus resorted to his rabbini- 
cal dialectics, and attempted to show that the requirement 
of Jesus was absurd and extravagant. " How," said he, 
" can a man be born when he is old ? Can he enter the 
second time into his mother's womb and be born?"* 
This was assuredly a wilful misunderstanding of our Lord's 
words, — a misapprehension affected for the sake of argu- 
ment. "You certainly do not mean to be understood 
literally; but what else you can mean I cannot under- 
stand. Why and how a Jew must be born again, in order 
to enjoy the blessings of Messiah's kingdom, is beyond 
my comprehension." 

Without suffering Himself to be discomposed in the 
least, by this unmeaning cavil, Jesus answers, "Verily, 
verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water 
and of the Spirit, he can not enter into the kingdom of 
God." t Thus He teaches Nicodemus that the new birth 
of which He is speaking is not an external and relative 
change, but internal and spiritual, though outwardly rep- 
resented by a sacramental sign. " That which is born of 
the flesh," He continues, is " flesh ; and that which is born 
of the spirit is spirit." t 

* John iii. 4. f John iii. 5. t John iii. 6. 



NICODEMUS. 185 

The language of our Lord is to this effect : Every act 
of generation involves an impartation of life. But noth- 
ing can impart a kind of life which it does not itself 
possess ; that which is begotten bears the nature of that 
which begat it. Nothing can spring from the natural 
sensuous life, except what is natural and sensuous. The 
flesh, corrupt and perishable, can not generate a life which 
is spiritual and immortal. This must come from spirit. 
Man can not therefore originate the spiritual life in him- 
self; but he must be born from above* that is to say, of 
the Holy Spirit. None can inherit the kingdom of God, 
to whom the incarnate Word, through the spirit, does not 
impart a principle of spiritual life, different in kind from 
the life of nature, and above it. " Since Christ represents 
this new birth as indispensable, in doing so he marks the 
relation in which the man who is not yet filled with the 
life of Christ, stands to the kingdom of God. He attains 
it not by his theological science, nor by his logical deduc- 
tions ; he has it not in his religious energy. It is a new 
creation from heaven, which must bury his old life in its 
consecrated stream in order to give him a new life,- — a 
mystery of life in which he must become a subject of the 
formative power of divine grace, like an unborn child. 
The more he anticipates this creative power, yearns for it, 
and humbly receives it into his life, so much nearer is he 
to the kingdom of God." t The new life is developed in 
the regenerate soul as a principle of holiness, of faith, 
hope, love, obedience ; as a mortifying, cleansing power, 
overcoming and extirpating sinful affections and propen- 
sities, purifying and consecrating the very body, and pre- 
serving both soul and body to life everlasting. 

Thus men are born of the spirit ; but how are they 
"born of water, and why?" These words, which have 

*aDZ30n; See Alford, in loco. fLange's " Life of Christ," vol. 2, p. 312. 



186 THE LIFE OE CEEIST. 

furnished matter for endless theological controversy, 
plainly refer to Christian baptism. Our Lord declares 
that a two-fold regeneration is necessary, answerable to 
the two-fold nature of the kingdom of God. That king- 
dom is outward and visible, as well as internal and spirit- 
ual. It is externalized in visible ordinances and a visible 
church. A man can only enter this two-fold kingdom, by 
being born both of the spirit and of water. He must be 
born of the spirit, because the kingdom is righteousness, 
peace and joy in the Holy Ghost ; he must be born of 
water, because the same kingdom is a visible community 
of saints, joined together by outward rites and sacra- 
ments as well as by the same indwelling spirit. " Water 
baptism signifies entrance into the true theocratic society ; 
and this society was constituted by Christ to be the his- 
torical foundation and main condition of the operations of 
His spirit, which presuppose the community that has been 
collected round the name of Christ, acknowledges His 
word, and is distinguished from the impure world by its 
public, common purification. With his entrance into the 
new society by baptism, he dies to the old world and re- 
nounces its vain pomps and godless spirit, and enters into 
the divinely appointed conditions which are requisite to 
the development of the life engendered in him by the 
Holy Ghost." * Thus he is born of water. Spiritual re- 
generation and regeneration by water are, however, not 
necessarily connected in respect to time, much less causa- 
tion. The Saviour does not ascribe to water-baptism a 
magical or miraculous efficacy by which the soul is 
renewed j He ascribes the inward quickening only to an 
immediate divine energy. 

There was a special reason why Jesus insisted on the 
necessity of baptism to Nicodemus. He had come se- 

*Lange's "Life of Christ," volume 2, pages 310, 311. 



NICODEMUS. 187 

cretly, by night, hoping perhaps that Christ, on account 
of his high position and the services he had it in his 
power to render, would exempt him from a public avowal 
of his faith. This hope was at once annihilated by the 
abrupt declaration that there was no way into the king- 
dom of God but through baptism* Christ would ac- 
knowledge no man as his disciple who did not openly 
confess Him before the world. 

Poor Nicodemus ! his rabbinical wisdom is confounded ; 
his pharisaical pride is humbled ; his timidity is rebuked. 
He sits in speechless amazement and distress. "Marvel 
not," said Jesus, pressing the thought further, "Marvel 
not, that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The 
wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound 
thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither 
it goeth; so is every one that is born of the spirit."! 
Probably the night-wind was at that moment moaning 
round the place where they were sitting. Jesus, in effect, 
says to Nicodemus, "What I have said strikes you as mys- 
terious, and you are tempted for that reason to reject it. 
But do you hear the wind without ? Though you know 
not its origin, or the laws of its movements, you believe 
in its reality. "Why then do you wonder that the spirit, 
that free, life-giving air from heaven, that breath of God, 
should be equally mysterious ? Can you understand the 
way of the spirit ? Can you fathom his energy in the 
regeneration of souls?" 

Nicodemus is still, not incredulous perhaps, but stupefied 
with wonder. " How can these things be ? " t he exclaims. 
He feels himself destitute of that spiritual life which has 
been described; he would fain experience the heavenly 
quickening, but he trembles at the thought "whether 
such a spring-storm of awakening spiritual life can possibly 

# Ecce Homo, pages 97, 98. t John vii. 8. $Jolm iii. 9. 



188 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

pass through his aged breast."* Jesus, instead of at once 
speaking words of encouragement and comfort, strikes 
him with another thunder-bolt which must have utterly 
shattered his pride and self-righteousness. "Art thou a 
master of Israel (or rather, the teacher of Israel), and 
knowest not these things ? Verily, verily, I say unto 
thee, we speak that we do know, and testify that we have 
seen, and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you 
earthly things and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I 
tell you of heavenly things ? And no man hath ascended 
up to heaven but He that came down from heaven, even 
the Son of Man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted 
up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of 
Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him should 
not perish but have eternal life." t 

These sublime words seem to have closed the interview. 
Nicodemus returned to his own house, meditating on what 
he had heard. The germ of living truth had been planted 
in his heart ; and at length the timid and conservative, but 
candid and noble inquirer, found courage openly to profess 
his faith in the crucified Nazarene. 

*Lange's " Life of Christ," vol. 2, page 313. t John xi. 15. 



CHAPTER VI. 
JOHN AND HIS DISCIPLES, ON OUR LORD'S BAPTIZING. 

JESUS LEAVES JERUSALEM AND BAPTIZES — JOHN AT ENON — HIS DISCIPLES 
TAKE OFFENCE AT OUR LORD'S BAPTIZING — JOHN'S REPLY TO THEIR 
OBJECTIONS — JOHN'S TESTIMONY TO THE DIVINITY OF JESUS — HE COR- 
RECTS THE EXAGGERATION OF HIS DISCIPLES — HE CONTINUES HIS 
TESTIMONY TO THE DIVINE MISSION AND AUTHORITY OF JESUS — OUR 
LORD'S BAPTISM AND THAT OF JOHN COMPARED. 

How long our Lord tarried at Jerusalem after His con- 
versation with Nicodemus, we can not certainly determine. 
Probably He left Jerusalem soon after the close of the 
Passover week. The presumption is, also, that He went 
directly into a rural district of Judea, not far from the 
borders of Samaria. Some suppose that He returned to 
Galilee, and spent several months in retirement ; but of 
this there is no evidence whatever. 

John was at this time baptizing at Enon, near Salim 
identified by Jerome and most modern scholars with the 
ancient Salumnias, in the valley of the Jordan. If this 
is correct, the large-hearted Baptist, though a prophet of 
the old covenant and a preacher of the law, did not hesi- 
tate to exercise his ministry within the limits of Samaria. 
He had taken up his abode there for a short period, be- 
cause it was a place of much water, and therefore conven- 
ient for baptizing. He had now been preaching the 
kingdom of God and baptizing unto repentance for about 
a year, and he still prosecuted his work, faithfully " fulfill- 
ing his course." Though he knew that the Messiah had 



190 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

come, and though there had been, of late, a falling off of 
the multitudes who had come nocking to him wherever 
he went, he did not pause in his labors : — he had received 
no discharge from Him whose prophet he was. 

In the meantime, the noblest and most enlightened 
of his disciples had, in accordance with his instructions, 
attached themselves to another and greater Teacher. 
There were, however, others of John's disciples who were 
strongly attached to him, and who were therefore impa- 
tient of any apparent rivalry of their master, or decline 
of his popularity. These learned with some irritation 
that Jesus was preaching and baptizing in the neighbor- 
hood, and that all the people were flocking to Him. Their 
jealousy, thus excited, was heightened by a dispute with 
a certain Jew,* who seemed to give the preference to the 
purifying or baptism of Jesus. Full of indignation, they 
came to their master with the complaint: "Kabbi, He 
that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest 
witness, the same baptizeth and all men come to Him."t 
They thought their master was wronged ; they intimated 
that Jesus was his disciple, and ought not to have led 
what looked like a rival movement; and they expected, 
perhaps, that John would sympathize with them in their 
resentment. 

In this they were disappointed. They did not under- 
stand the noble, unselfish spirit of the Baptist. His reply 
is altogether beautiful: "A man can receive nothing un- 
less it be given him from heaven." $ "All comes to pass," 
says he " by divine appointment. No man can go beyond 
the limits of his commission from God ; I can not there- 
fore arrogate to myself what God has not given me ; and 

* The most authentic Greek text requires the singular rather than the 
plural. 

t John iii. 26. 

t John iii. 27. 



JOHN ON OUR lord's baptizing. 191 

the growing influence of Jesus proclaims His divine call- 
ing."* "Ye yourselves bear me witness that I said," (at 
Bethabara, in answer to the messengers of the Sanhedrim) : 
" I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before Him," f 
namely, Jesus.J "He that hath the bride is the bride- 
groom; but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth 
and heareth him. rejoiceth greatly because of the bride- 
groom's voice : this my joy therefore is fulnlled."§ "As the 
friend of the bridegroom," he would say, " I have prepared 
the marriage feast; I have led the Church of God, the 
bride, to Him. I now witness, not with envy, but rather 
with joy, the glorious union ; and I enter into the happi- 
ness of the bridegroom, as His voice gives assurance that 
my mission is happily completed." "He must increase, 
but I must decrease." || "My mission is almost ended; 
the enthusiasm of the people will be more and more 
transferred to Him ; He will become more and more the 
centre of interest, while I shall retire into obscurity." 

And now the full inspiration of the greatest of the 
prophets breaks forth in ever-memorable words : " He 
that cometh from above is above all; he that is of the 
earth is earthly and speaketh of the earth; He that 
cometh from heaven is above all."^[ The Baptist con- 
fesses that he is, in comparison with Christ, earthly- 
minded; and that even his prophetic illumination is 
dimmed by earthly vapors, and is but darkness compared 
with the clear intuition of Him who comes from heaven 
to be the Light of the world. Turning, now, to his disci- 

; « ■ ' ' — — — , — 

* See Alford, Neander, Wetstein, in loco, 
t John iii 28. 

t The reference of Him is not to the Messiah in general, but to Jesus in 
particular. See Alford. 
§ John iii 29. 
H John iii. 30. 
IF John iii 31. 



192 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

pies, who had, through envy, exaggerated the number of 
those who came to Christ's baptism, John, through love, 
runs into an opposite exaggeration :* " And what He hath 
seen and heard that He testifieth, and no man receiveth 
His testimony." t Did you say all men come to Him f 
Have, then, the priests and rulers, the scribes and Phari- 
sees believed in Him? Nay, the nation already rejects 
Him. And among those who come to Him, few, if any, 
are qualified to receive His heavenly testimony in its 
purity. Continuing his eulogy, John adds : " He that 
receiveth His testimony hath set tc his seal that God is 
true. For He whom God hath sent speaketh the words 
of God; for God giveth the Spirit not by measure unto 
Him. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all 
things into His hand. He that believe th on the Son 
hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son 
shall not see life ; but the wrath of God abideth on Him." J 
This denunciation of the Baptist is the last utterance of 
the old covenant, — the final peal of thunder from Mount 
Sinai.§ It is the last prophetic word of the lowly and 
austere, but humble, self-sacrificing forerunner and friend 
of the Divine Bridegroom. 

The question has been raised, whether the baptism 
administered by Jesus during this period of His ministry, 
was in its nature identical with that of John. It must 
certainly be distinguished from the baptism instituted 
after His resurrection, which was a baptism into the name 
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, and 
was more a sacrament of faith than of repentance. It 
can scarcely be supposed, either, that Jesus baptized into 



*See De Ligny's (Jesuit) "Life of Christ," page 61. 

t John iii. 32. 

JJohniii. 34-67. 

§Lange's "Life of Christ," volume 2, page 332. 



JOHN ON OUR LORD'S BAPTIZING. 193 

His own name as the Messiah ; for this was a character 
that He did not publicly assume, but rather concealed till 
a much later stage of His ministry. This early baptism, 
which seems to have lasted only a few weeks, and which, 
during that period, was only administered by the hands 
of His disciples, was undoubtedly like John's, — a prepara- 
tory ordinance, corresponding to the great burden of 
preaching, — "Kepent, for the kingdom of heaven is at 
hand." As long as the Baptist and Christ were not 
checked in their ministry, the Israelitish body politic 
might be regarded as a community making a transition 
from impurity to purity. But the Baptist being ulti- 
mately imprisoned, and the rulers and representatives of 
the Jewish Church not coming to the baptism of Christ, 
but rejecting Him, the rite as one of national purification 
became unmeaning and useless. It seems, therefore, to 
have ceased from this time* 



* Andrews' " Life of Christ," pages 159, 164; also, Lange's "Life of 
Christ," vol. 2. page 329. 



13 



CHAPTER VII. 
JESUS AND THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 



HOSTILITY OF THE PHARISEES TO JESUS — HE LEAVES JUDEA FOR SAMA- 
RIA' — DEAN STANLEY'S VIEW OF THE COUNTRY — VANDEBILDE'S DE- 
SCRIPTION — THE SAMARITANS AND THEIR RELIGION — REASONS FOR 
THEIR REVERENCE FOR MOUNT GERIZIM — HOSTILITY OF THE JEWS TO 
THE SAMARITANS — RECIPROCAL HATRED OF THE SAMARITANS — AP- 
PROACH OF JESUS TO SAMARIA — JACOB'S WELL — JESUS ASKS DRINK 
OF A SAMARITAN WOMAN — HIS REPLY TO HER QUESTION OF SURPRISE — 
THE WOMAN'S RESPONSE AND REFERENCE TO JACOB — JESUS DECLARES 
HIS DIVINE SUPERIORITY OVER JACOB, AS POSSESSING THE GIFTS OF 
SPIRITUAL REFRESHING AND EVERLASTING LIFE — THE FULL AND DEEP 
SIGNIFICANCE OF HIS WORDS — THE WOMAN'S REQUEST FOR LIVING 
WATER, AND JESUS' REVELATION OF HER SPIRITUAL CONDITION^DE 
LIGNY'S COMMENT ON HER REPLY, " I HAVE NO HUSBAND " — HER REF- 
ERENCE TO THE SAMARITAN WORSHIP, AND THE JEWS' EXCLUSIVE- 
NESS — OUR LORD'S REPLY — PECULIAR ERROR OF THE SAMARITANS — 
COMMON ERROR OF BOTH JEWS AND SAMARITANS — A SPIRITUAL WOR- 
SHIP TO TAKE THE PLACE OF THE CEREMONIAL SYSTEM — THE WOMAN'S 
QUERY AS TO THE MESSIAH — JESUS DECLARES HIMSELF TO BE THE 
MESSIAH — THE DISCIPLES RETURN AND ASK HIM TO EAT — JESUS URGES 
THE IMPORTANCE OF HIS WORK — THE REWARD OF THE LABORER — THE 
WOMAN RETURNS TO THE CITY, AND SPREADS THE FAME OF JESUS — 
HE PREACHES THE WORD IN SAMARIA, AND MANY BELIEVE. 

The Pharisees had not yet come to an open rupture 
with Jesus; but their suspicions were excited, and the 
growing enthusiasm of the common people who came in 
large numbers to His baptism alarmed them. He had 
already become more formidable than John the Baptist 
to that powerful sect. Aware that a longer stay in Judea 
would bring on a premature conflict with these fanatical 
enemies, which it was His purpose for the present to 



JESUS AND THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 195 

avoid, Jesus determined to return to Galilee. The nearest 
and most practicable route was through Samaria. A 
bigoted Jew would perhaps have made a detour through 
Perea, and thus avoided the territory of the despised and 
hated Samaritans. Jesus, however, was no bigot, and, 
besides, He had a great work to do among those very 
Samaritans; hence He would not turn aside from the 
direct road. 

The country through which He passed was the fairest 
and most fruitful of central Palestine. This was espe- 
cially true of the vale of Shechem or Sychar, called by the 
Greeks, Neapolis, and by the modern Arabs, Naplous. "A 
valley," says Dean Stanley, u green with grass, gray with 
olive gardens sloping down on each side ; fresh springs 
rushing down in all directions ; at the end, a white town 
with dome-shaped roofs, embosomed in all this verdure, 
lodged between the high mountains which extend on each 
side of the valley, — that on the north, Ebal ; that on the 
south, Gerizim ; — this is the aspect of Naplous." 

"Here," says another traveler, "there is no wilderness; 
here there are no wild thickets ; yet there is always shade, 
not of the oak or of the terebinth, but of the olive- 
grove, so soft in color, so picturesque in form that, for its 
sake, we can willingly dispense with all other wood. 
Here there are no impetuous mountain torrents, yet 
there is water, — water, too, in more copious supplies than 
anywhere else in the land; and it is just to its many 
fountains, rills and water-courses, that the valley owes 
its exquisite beauty. The exhalations remain hovering 
among the branches and leaves of the olive-trees, and 
hence the lovely bluish haze that gives such a charm to 
the landscape. The valley is far from broad, — in some 
places not exceeding a few hundred feet. This you find 
generally enclosed on all sides ; there, likewise, are the 
vapors condensed. And so you advance under the shade 



196 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

of the foliage, along the living waters, and charmed by 
the melody of a host of singing birds, — for they, too, 
know where to find their best quarters, — while the per- 
spective fades away and is lost in the damp vapory atmos- 
phere." * 

The Samaritans, whom Jesus was about to visit, were 
not of the seed of Abraham, but were descended from a 
colony that Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, had planted 
there, after the country had been depopulated by the 
captivity of the ten tribes of Israel. This colony finally 
embraced the religion of Moses ; and as, in the course of 
ages, many renegade and outcast Jews mingled with 
them, they at length began to assert their true and lineal 
descent from Abraham, through Jacob and Joseph. Un- 
der the direction of Manasseh, a priest who had married 
a Samaritan woman, — Sanballat built a temple on Mount 
Gerizim, which for two hundred years rivalled that at 
Jerusalem. After its destruction by the Asmonean prince, 
John Hyrcanus, about one hundred and fifty years before 
the time of our Lord, they still continued to venerate the 
mountain on which it had stood ; and there, after the lapse 
of eighteen hundred years, a feeble but interesting rem- 
nant of the race still offer the paschal lamb, and celebrate 
such rites of the law as their circumstances permit. 

For this attachment to Mount Gerizim as a place of 
preeminent sanctity, the Samaritans had many plausible 
arguments. Modern scholars are inclining to the convic- 
tion that this was the mountain on which Melchizedek 
officiated as priest of the Most High, and that the Salem 
which lies a few miles to the east was the place of his resi- 
dence. Mount Gerizim was the first spot on which Abra- 
ham halted, after he crossed the Jordan, where he rested 

*Vandebilde, quoted by Stanley, "Sinai and Palestine," pages 230 
and 231. 



JESUS AND THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 197 

and built an altar to the Lord. There are grounds of 
probability that it was here, and not on the Mount Moriah 
of Jerusalem, that he offered his son Isaac. Here, un- 
doubtedly, Jacob pitched his tent, when he returned at 
the head of a tribe, rather than a household, from Mesopo- 
tamia. He bought the parcel of the field on which he 
first encamped, of Hamor, Shechem's father, and there he 
dug the famous well which is to this day a monument of 
his prudence in providing against the possible hostility of 
the people of the land. There too, Joseph, who by faith 
"gave command concerning his bones,"* was finally buried, 
and his sepulchre is shown even in our day, not far from 
the sacred well. Shechem had, besides, been the capital 
of the Ten Tribes, and was venerated by the whole nation, 
even after the building of Solomon's temple. 

Between the Jews and the Samaritans there existed an 
ancient and bitter feud, which the lapse of ages only ren- 
dered the more implacable. It had its origin as far back 
as the return from the Babylonish captivity. The Samar- 
itans had offered to assist the Jews in rebuilding the tem- 
ple, and were rather scornfully repelled. This feeling 
of dislike among the Jews had deepened into a settled 
hatred. They treated the claim of the Samaritans to a 
lineal descent from Abraham with contempt, regarded 
them as aliens and heathens, and always spoke of them 
disparagingly as a, foolish people and no nation. The very 
name of their sacred city, Sechem, or Sichem, had been 
changed by Jewish malice to Sychar, a name which signi- 
fies the " toper city," or the " heathen city." 

This animosity was, perhaps, more than reciprocated by 
the Samaritans. They waylaid, robbed and maltreated 
Jewish pilgrims who passed through their territory, and 
in every possible way showed their contempt and hatred 

* Hebrews xi. 22. 



198 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

of the temple at Jerusalem. Not a great while before 
our Lord's visit, a Samaritan had stolen into the temple 
and polluted every accessible part of it with human bones, 
— than which no act could have awakened in the breast of 
a Jew greater loathing and horror. This may account in 
part for the fact that the "Jews would have no dealings 
with the Samaritans." 

Such were the relations of the two races when our Lord 
entered the territory of Samaria. It was late in autumn, 
an oppressive and sultry season in that climate. The na- 
tives were busily engaged in sowing their fields, which 
were among the most fertile in Palestine. The mountains 
were indeed sterile and bare, but there were several val- 
leys of surpassing fruitfulness and beauty. Our Saviour's 
path lay through one of these valleys. All the forenoon 
He seems to have toiled over the sultry plain. About 
noon He arrived at Jacob's well. This well, as already 
intimated, is still in existence, and is frequently visited 
by travelers, who at certain seasons find in it a great 
depth of refreshingly cool and pure water, though at 
other seasons it is quite dry. It is situated at the mouth 
of the charming though narrow valley between Mount 
Gerizhn and Mount Ebal, and is a natural resting-place 
for dusty and toil-worn travelers between Jerusalem and 
Galilee. Here Jesus sat down to rest, while the disciples, 
already somewhat raised above the prevailing Jewish 
prejudices, went into the neighboring city to buy food. 

Soon after their departure a Samaritan woman, coming 
perhaps from, her labor in the field, or from her cottage in 
the vicinity, or drawn from the city itself by her liking 
for the water of this particular well, approached the place 
with her water-pot. Jesus, with gentle courtesy, said to 
her, "Give me to drink." The woman perceiving from 
his garb and speech that He was of the hated race, and 
therefore surprised at his addressing her in a kind and 



JESUS AND THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 199 

respectful manner, and at his desire to drink from the 
vessel of a Samaritan, answered, probably in a half-jesting, 
half-sarcastic manner, "How is it that Thou, being a Jew, 
askest drink of me who am a woman of Samaria?"* Our 
Lord, having excited her curiosity and wonder, replies in 
words full of meaning, yet a little ambiguous : " If thou 
knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee 
give me to drink, thou wouldst have asked of Him and 
He would have given thee living water." t 

At this reply the woman must have been perplexed. 
"What can He mean?" said she to herself. "He has just 
begged water of me ; and now He tells me that He has 
living water to give away. The water of this well some- 
times fails : besides, He has nothing to draw with ; He 
cannot mean this water; does he then mean another 
fountain?" "Sir," said she, "this well is very deep, and 
Thou hast nothing to draw with ; whence then hast Thou 
that living water? Art Thou greater than our father 
Jacob, who gave us this well and drank of it himself, and 
his children and his cattle ?"$ She feels that Jesus is no 
ordinary man ; but she cannot think Him superior to 
Jacob who gave them the water of this well. He cannot 
give better water than Jacob gave ; Jacob's well against 
all the fountains of the world ! Thus she stands for the 
Samaritan tradition. 

Jesus now draws her on to a comparison between the 
water of this well and thai; living water which He alone 
could give : "Whosoever shall drink of this water shall 
thirst again; but whosoever drinketh of the water that 
I shall give him shall never thirst ; but the water that I 
shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing 
up into everlasting life."§ The poor woman knows that 
something wonderful has been said. The words, "ever- 

* John iv. 9. f John iv. 10. t John iv. 11, 12. § John xiii. 14. 



200 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

lasting life" suddenly remind her of the wants of her 
eternity; and she is fast becoming conscious of a thirst 
which no earthly fountain can quench. Her dark mind 
has a dim perception of a spiritual meaning ; but what it 
is, she cannot clearly discern. 

We can see what she could not, — that when Jesus 
speaks of living water, He means that spiritual life which 
He came to impart to men ; not water for the toil-worn, 
thirsty body, but water for the longing, fainting soul, — 
holiness, peace, freedom, salvation. a This gift of God 
and this living water are nothing else than the Holy Ghost, 
who extinguishes in souls the thirst after the pleasures 
of sense and perishable goods, who deadens the ardors of 
concupiscence, who waters the aridity of the heart by re- 
freshing sentiments of piety, and who renders the soul 
fruitful in good works : truly living water in itself and in 
its effects, inasmuch as the Holy Ghost, being life, gives 
life to those souls who receive Him."* Nicodemus re- 
ceives the promise of the regenerating Spirit under the 
symbol of the blowing wind, which brings the fresh, ver- 
nal life ; the woman of Sychar receives it under the 
symbol of a perennial fountain springing up in the 
depths of the soul, satisfying all the obscure longings of 
her immortal nature.! 

Deeply moved by what she heard, yet not as yet able 
to detach the spiritual from the literal sense, she answers : 
a Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come 
hither to draw." t The words express an awakening con- 
fidence in the wonderful Stranger. She longs to receive 
whatever He has to impart under the name of living 
water. But her eyes must be turned within, she must be 



*Be Ligny's " Life of Christ," page 64 ; an exposition worthy of Calvin. 
fLange's "Life of Christ," vol. 2, page 342. 
t John iv. 15. 



JESUS AND THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 201 

made distinctly conscious of her sinfulness and misery 
before she can drink of the water of life. Jesus, there- 
fore, fixing his eyes upon her, abruptly said to her : u Go, 
call thy husband, and come hither." # She is probably 
startled by the unexpected nature of this command; 
but she does not lose her self-possession. She quietly 
replies: "I have no husband;"! so much she may say 
without disclosing her own shame. Her conscience, how- 
ever, must be deeply probed. She must look her sins 
full in the face and confess them. " Thou hast well said, 
I have no husband; for thou hast had five husbands, and 
he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that 
saidst thou truly." $ 

Commenting upon this, De Ligny§ utters a quaint and 
striking remark, which curiously betrays the Father Con- 
fessor. " If this was not naturally a good woman, she 
must have become so already during her interview with 
Christ, — for instead of giving Him the lie, as many others 
would have done, and with greater assurance the more 
foundation there was for the reproach, she answered res- 
pectfully, and with shame acknowledged her guilt." " Sir, 
I perceive that Thou art a prophet." || She confessed 
that her life had been one of sin. She had probably lost 
some of her husbands by death ; she had been divorced 
for sufficient reasons, by others ; and she was at that time 
living with one to whom she was bound by no legal ties. 

What a moment was this for that poor sinful creature, 
standing in the presence of spotless purity, under those 
calm, pitying eyes, which, she felt, searched the darkest 
recesses of her soul. But something in His words, — per- 
haps also the divine compassion expressed in His coun- 
tenance, kept her from despair. She was now more eager 

*John iv. 16. f John iv. 17. t John iv. 17, 18. 

§ " Life of Christ," page 67. || John iv. 19. 



202 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

than ever for instruction. " Our fathers worshiped in this 
mountain," she said, pointing to the neighboring Gerizim, 
" but ye say that in Jerusalem men ought to worship," * 
The woman probably refers here, not only to the times of 
Sanballat and the apostate priest Manasseh, who estab- 
lished a temple and an altar on that mountain, but to 
the patriarchs, especially Jacob, who had undoubtedly 
worshiped there. At any rate, the Samaritans had from 
time immemorial regarded Mount Gerizim as eminently 
holy, while the Jews rightly claimed that God had chosen 
Mount Moriah as the seat of that public sacrificial worship 
which the law required. Private worship of the living 
and true God in any place had never been forbidden, but 
on the contrary strictly enjoined. 4< s 

Our Lord's reply is wonderfully sublime and compre- 
hensive : "Woman, believe me, the hour cometh when ye 
shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem wor- 
ship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what; we 
know what we worship — for salvation is of the Jews. 
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worship- 
ers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for 
the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit ; 
and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit 
and in truth."! 

The Saviour here declares without parable or metaphor, 
to this ignorant and sinful yet child-like and open-hearted 
woman, what would have confounded the most learned 
scribe of Jerusalem, — the spiritual nature and universality 
of true religion. Hitherto, the true worship of God, though 
not without a spiritual element, had been local, external 
and typical. Now, however, a new worship was about to 
be set up, which, though it would clothe itself in outward 
forms, would be substantially and distinctively inward and 

* John iv. 20. f John iv. 21-24. 



JESUS AND THE WOMAN OF SAMAKIA. 203 

spiritual, and therefore not confined to any particular place 
or nation. 

The Samaritans were wrong, in several points. They 
erred in keeping up an unauthorized and schismatical 
worship on Mount Gerizini. Besides, rejecting as they 
did the prophets, they worshiped in comparative igno- 
rance ; they were without that living knowledge of God 
which was only possible to those who stood within the 
sphere of the organic development of divine revelation. 
Their conception of the character and government of Je- 
hovah was defective and dead, while the Jews had clear 
and definite views of God, and of the way in which He 
might be acceptably worshiped. Above all, salvation 
was of the Jews. The Saviour, as all the prophets in long 
succession had witnessed, was to be the Seed of Abraham 
and the Son of David — a Jew and not a Samaritan. 

In one very important point, however, both Jews and 
Samaritans were at fault ; — in failing to discover the alto- 
gether temporary character of all worship purely local and 
ceremonial, and its necessary subversion by the spiritual 
and universal. The time was even now at hand, when 
the outward and ceremonial part of the religion of Moses 
was to pass away. Even Jerusalem should soon cease to 
be the chosen dwelling-place of Jehovah. The daily sacri- 
fice would no longer be offered ; the incense no longer as- 
cend from the golden altar ; the chantings of the Levites 
would die away into eternal silence ; the train of white- 
robed priests would disappear; the veil which concealed 
the most holy place would be rent in twain; even the 
temple itself would be overthrown and not one stone be 
left upon another. The time was at hand when the Jew 
should not be accepted because he worshiped at Jerusa- 
lem, any more than the Samaritan because he worshiped 
at Mount Gerizim; but those and those only would be 
accepted, who worshiped God as a Father in spirit and 



204 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

in truth. The true religion would become universal, — 
the religion, not of Jew or Samaritan, but of humanity 
Everywhere would men adore the Father, not so much 
in outward rites as in spirit, — in the oblation of holy 
affections, obedient wills, and penitent, believing, loving 
hearts. And this worship would be in truth ; — not only 
sincere, but the reality which the Mosaic worship fore- 
shadowed; for it would be offered in the name of Christ, 
the substantial truth, and of the Holy Ghost, the spirit 
of truth. This kind of worship was what God desired of 
man, what he sought, what he was at that very moment 
seeking of this benighted soul. 

We picture to ourselves the woman standing as one en- 
tranced. The divine light is breaking through the cloud 
which has so long enveloped her soul ; and she hails it as 
light from heaven. A strange thrilling thought flashes 
upon her mind : "Who is this wonderful stranger? I feel 
that He is a prophet, and more than a prophet ; can it be, 
oh, can it be, that He is the Christ so long expected ? " 
She continues her soliloquy aloud : " I know that Messiah 
cometh, who is called Christ ; when He is come He will 
tell us all things." * 

The Samaritans, whose conception of the Messiah must 
have been drawn from the words of Moses touching the 
great Prophet or Teacher,! who should gather the people 
to Himself, had not fallen into the perverted Jewish idea 
of a national and secular Messiah. They looked for a 
Teacher, Converter and Guide, not for a temporal De- 
liverer and Prince. In this outlying Samaritan world, 
therefore, it was possible for Jesus plainly to declare His 
character and mission. So He said to the woman al- 
ready grasping at the great truth, "I that speak unto 
thee am He." Joy, joy to thee, " thou precious winner ! " 

* John xviii. 25. f See Deuteronomy xviii. 25. 



JESUS AND THE WOMAN OF SAMAEIA. 205 

Thy bonds are broken ; thy sins are forgiven ; the water 
of life gushes up and flows softly like the waters of Siloam, 
in thy regenerate soul ! Thy burning thirst is quenched, 
and " every longing satisfied." 

What the woman would have said in reply to our Lord's 
avowal, we can only conjecture, for the conversation was 
just then interrupted by the return of the disciples from 
the city. They wondered to find their Master engaged in 
earnest conversation with a Samaritan woman, as well 
they might, considering their national prejudices, but they 
asked no questions, and spreading out their provisions, 
entreated Him to eat. Ever mindful of their spiritual in- 
struction, he said to them, a I have meat to eat that ye 
know not of." * They whisper one to another, " hath any 
man brought Him aught to eat ? " t Jesus saith unto them, 
"My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to 
finish His work. Say not ye, there are yet four months, 
and then cometh the harvest ? Behold I say unto you, lift 
up your eyes and look on the fields, for they are white 
already to the harvest." t As if he had said, " To carry 
forward to completion the work which the Father hath 
given me to do, is more to Me than food for my body ; it 
is my pleasure, my nourishment, my life ! And this work 
admits of no delay. You have a saying at this season of 
seed-time, that there are four months till harvest, but look 
yonder," (pointing to the Samaritans now thronging the 
paths from the city,) a the harvest is already ripe for the 
sickle." 

Jesus continues, " He that reapeth " (in this spiritual 
harvest field,) u receive th wages, and gathereth fruit unto 
life eternal." The Lord of the harvest will abundantly 
reward him, and the fruit he gathers, — the souls he con- 
verts, — shall be unto everlasting salvation, " that both he 



* John viii. 32. f John viii. 33. t John viii. 34, 35 



206 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. 
And herein is that saying true, one soweth and another 
reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed 
no labor, other men labored and ye have entered into their 
labors." # The sowers to whom Jesus refers were Moses, 
and the priests who had converted the Samaritans from 
heathenism to the worship of the one living and true 
God. Perhaps, also, He alludes to the recent labors of 
John the Baptist, who may have awakened in the hearts 
of many Samaritans a longing for the Messiah, and a be- 
lief that He was at hand. 

In the meanwhile, the woman, finding farther conversa- 
tion with Jesus interrupted, leaves her pitcher, and, full of 
wonder and joy, hastens to the city, and spreads abroad the 
news of the marvelous stranger at Jacob's well. " Come, 
see a man," she exclaims, " which told me all things that 
ever I did : is not this the Christ ? " t Her zeal makes 
her forgetful of her reputation ; she does not hesitate to 
proclaim our Lord's supernatural knowledge of her sins, 
as a proof of his being the Christ.t Her sincerity, her 
new-born love, the surprising change visible in her aspect 
and bearing, all combined to render her appeal irresist- 
ible. Speedily the people go thronging forth towards 
Jacob's well : they come to Jesus : they entreat Him to 
enter their city. 

Acceding to their request, Jesus enters the city and 
abides with them two days, working no miracles, but 
charming the people with His heavenly discourse. They 
listen to His words ; they believe ; they rejoice ; for the 
salvation which is of the Jews, rejected at Jerusalem, has 
come to Sychar. "And many more believed because of 



* John iv. 37, 38. 

t John iv. 29. 

$See De Ligny's " Life of Christ," page 67 



JESUS AND THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 207 

His own word ; and said unto the woman, Now we believe 
not because of thy saying, for we have heard Him our- 
selves and know that this is indeed the Christ the Saviour 
of the world."* Thus was the seed sown, from which, 
probably, sprang the full harvest reaped some years later 
by the evangelist Philip, and by John and Peter, when 
there was again great joy in that city.t 

* John iv. 41, 42. t Acts viii. 5-8. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

JESUS HEALS THE NOBLEMAN'S SON. 

GALILEE — LIBERAL VIEWS OF THE GALILEANS — THEIR FAVORABLE RE- 
CEPTION OF JESUS — THE NOBLEMAN'S SON LIES DYING THE FATHER 

APPEALS TO JESUS — WILL JESUS GO TO CAPERNAUM AT HIS BIDDING? — 
HE REBUKES THE WONDER-SEEKING PROPENSITY OF THE PEOPLE — THE 
NOBLEMAN PRESSES HIS PETITION IN FAITH — JESUS HEALS THE CHILD — 
THE CONVERSION OF THE NOBLEMAN'S HOUSEHOLD — JESUS PASSES INTO 
TEMPORARY RETIREMENT. 

In the time of our Lord, Galilee, one of the provinces 
into which Palestine was divided, (the other two being 
Judea and Samaria,) included the whole northern section 
of the country, from the borders of Tyre and Sidon to 
the southern extremity of the great plain of Jezreel, or 
Esdraelon. Originally, however, the name was confined 
to a small " circuit," — such is the meaning of the word, — 
around Kedesh-Naphtali, in which were situated the 
twenty towns given by Solomon to Hiram, king of Tyre.* 
This was old Galilee, Galilee proper; upper Galilee, Gali- 
lee of the Gentiles. After the name was extended to the 
whole northern half of the country, it would seem that the 
inhabitants of lower Galilee still spoke of what anciently 
bore the name as simply Galilee. An inhabitant of Naza- 
reth, for example, which was in lower Galilee, when speak- 
ing of a journey to the vale of Gennesaret, in upper 
Galilee, would naturally say he had visited Galilee. So 
if he had passed through Cana he would probably use 



* 1 Kings ix. 11. 



HEALING OF THE NOBLEMAN'S SON. 209 

the same expression* Galilee, at this time, sustained an 
immense population. According to Josephus, the cities 
and villages lay close together, and many of the latter 
contained not less than fifteen thousand souls. The people 
seem to have been industrious, thrifty, and more liberal 
minded than the inhabitants of Judea. Their intercourse 
with Gentiles, especially the Greeks, had perhaps, some- 
what softened their Jewish bigotry, and rendered them 
less intolerant toward the teachers of new doctrines. 

However this may be, it is certain that on returning 
to Galilee, after His sojourn in Samaria, our Lord met with 
a favorable reception. For having passed by Nazareth, 
in lower Galilee, and gone to Cana, in Galilee proper, the 
Galileans received Him gladly. The people of Cana and 
its vicinity, in particular, remembered how He had made 
the water wine ; and many of them had witnessed His glori- 
ous miracles at Jerusalem. It is probable that His mother 
and brethren were then residing there ; and He seems to 
have remained there in comparative seclusion for several 
weeks, probably indeed, for months. Only one or two in- 
cidents of this period are recorded; but we can not doubt 
that He taught the people and proclaimed the Kingdom 
of God among the villages of that rural upland region. 

The arrival of Jesus at Cana appears to have been well 
known at Capernaum, where he had many friends. Ca- 
pernaum was at this time a flourishing city, full of stately 
dwellings, and abounding in wealth and luxury. But 
riches are no defense against sickness and sorrow. In 
one of the palaces of Capernaum there is weeping and 
lamentation. There is sickness there, and as is feared, 
sickness unto death. A nobleman bends over a couch, 



*See Smith's "Bible Dictionary," in loco; Lange's "Life of Christ," 
volume 2, page 356; also, for another view, Andrews' "Life of Christ," 
pages 168, 169. 

14 



210 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

with a sad and- mournful countenance ; for there lies his 
darling son, burning with fever ; the disease baffles all 
medical skill, and seems to be rapidly approaching a fatal 
termination. The father can not give up his child; his 
son must not die. But what is he to do? A thought 
occurs to him. He hears that Jesus, the new prophet of 
Nazareth, whom he had, perhaps, seen at Jerusalem, and 
of whose wonderful miracles he had heard such startling 
rumors, is now at Cana of Galilee. Blinded by aristo- 
cratic prejudices and religious bigotry, he has hitherto 
stood aloof from Jesus ; but these all melt away under 
the fires of adversity. Jesus, perhaps, can save his child ; 
it is at any rate his only hope. He will send to Cana ; 
nay, he will go himself, and entreat the Prophet to come 
speedily to his dying boy. In a few hours he reaches 
Cana, and prays our Lord to go down at once and heal 
his son, now at the point of death* 

Surely Jesus, this great physician so full of divine ten- 
derness and power, will at once set out for Capernaum? 
No, He will not be a wonder-working physician to men 
of rank and wealth : He will not be drawn from His 
chosen sphere of labor, by their importunity: He will 
meet the billows of their merely natural excitement with 
the serene, steadfast peace of God in His own soul. He 
will not go down to Capernaum at the solicitation of this 
nobleman. He will hold the proud and noble at respect- 
ful distance. He will improve the occasion to rebuke the 
wonder-loving tendencies of the people. Our Lord knew 
His visitor, for He knew what was in man. This noble- 
man, who was doubtless a Jew, had evidently been among 
those who required a sign, an external and splendid mira- 
cle, as a proof of our Lord's divine mission. Perhaps too, 
he had wished to see a sign with his own eyes, and he 

* See John iv. 47. 



HEALING OF THE NOBLEMAN'S SON. 211 

may have been in the temple when the Jews came to 
Jesus and said, " what sign showest Thou unto us, seeing 
Thou doest these things ? " However this may be, Jesus 
now, as at all times, reproved this greed of marvels, which 
was in fact rooted in unbelief. He addressed the peti- 
tioner abruptly, almost sternly, in words of rebuke, in- 
tended to reach the bystanders also, " unless ye see signs 
and wonders, ye will not believe." * 

The anxious parent was, however, not repelled by this 
rebuke. He doubtless felt its justice. Besides, the words 
of Jesus, sudden and terrible as a lightning stroke, flashed 
in upon his troubled soul the conviction that simple faith 
was the indispensable condition of the cure of his darling 
child. He discovers, too, a hidden encouragement in this 
reproof, an implied promise, even in the seeming repulse. 
If he can believe without sign, then the cure is not im- 
possible. And he can. Tacitly confessing his sin, he says 
with a full heart, "Sir, come down ere my child die!"f 
He has faith like a grain of mustard seed. Though the 
thought does not occur to him, as it did to the centurion 
afterwards (who, however, must have been cognizant of 
this miracle,) that Jesus can heal his child at a distance, 
much less that He can raise him from the dead, he does 
believe that if the Lord can but see his child he will live. 
The faith of Martha and Mary — " Lord, if thou hadst been 
here our brother had not died " $— seems not to have been 
greater. 

The point has now been gained: the lesson has been 
taught. Jesus will not go down to Capernaum, but the 
child shall not die ; faith shall have its reward. With a 
countenance changed from severity to benign interest and 
love, Jesus says to him : " Go thy way ; thy son liveth." § 
"In the very same moment that this life-ray of deliver- 

*Johniv. 48. f John iv. 49. JJohn xi. 32. § John iv. 50. 



212 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

ance darted into the father's heart, it darted into the heart 
of his distant son." * The father doubted not. So strong 
was his assurance that his child was restored, that he did 
not return home till the next day, though it was but the 
seventh hour, — one o'clock p. m., — when the life-giving 
word was spoken. As he was leisurely returning, his 
servants met him with the joyful tidings that his son 
was well. "When did he begin to amend?" he inquired. 
" Yesterday," they replied, " at the seventh hour, the fever 
left him " t — the very moment when Jesus said, " thy son 
liveth." No wonder that the nobleman believed and all 
his house. There was great joy when he reached his 
house and again embraced his son. Doubtless he told his 
family about his interview with Jesus — doubtless they all 
longed to thank Him for His goodness, and if the noble- 
man was, as has been conjectured, Chuza, Herod's steward, 
we can understand the feeling which prompted his noble 
wife, Joanna, t6 follow Jesus up to Jerusalem and minister 
to Him of her wealth. 

After the performance of this miracle, we hear little of 
our Lord until His return to Jerusalem to attend the feast 
of the Passover. His disciples appear to have retired to 
their respective homes soon after His arrival at Cana ; and 
He Himself probably now withdrew into comparative se- 
clusion. Indeed, a variety of circumstances lead to the 
conclusion that this was His object in returning to Galilee 
rather than the active prosecution of His mission, t That 
mission could not be consistently and fully inaugurated 
until that of the Baptist had been brought to its com- 
pletion. He had already done enough to evince the 
divine relation of the two, and to verify and sustain 
the predictions and preaching of the Baptist. He now 
waits in peaceful retirement the full appointed time. 

*Lange. f John iv. 52 { See Andrews' " Life of Christ," p. 170. 



CHAPTER IX. 

JESUS HEALS THE IMPOTENT MAN. 

JESUS GOES UP THE SECOND TIME TO JERUSALEM — HIS PECULIAR CHOICE 
OF GALILEE AS HIS CHIEF FIELD OF LABOR — THE FEAST PROBABLY THE 
PASSOVER — JESUS AMONG THE MULTITUDE — BETHESDA — JESUS HEALS 
THE IMPOTENT MAN — THE JEWS REBUKE THE IMPOTENT MAN — THEIR 
EFFORT TO DISCOVER JESUS, AND ITS FAILURE — JESUS MEETS THE 
IMPOTENT MAN THE SECOND TIME, AND ADMONISHES HIM — SPECIAL 
RETRIBUTION IN THIS LIFE — THE IMPOTENT MAN MAKES JESUS KNOWN 
TO THE JEWS — THEY ASSAIL HIM OPENLY — PECULIAR OPENING OF OUR 
LORD'S DEFENSE — THE PERFECTION OF THE DIVINE REPOSE — THE PER- 
PETUITY OF GOD'S ACTIVITY — ESPECIAL PROOF OF OUR LORD'S DIVINITY 
— ESPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE REPLY OF THE JEWS — JESUS DE- 
CLARES HIS UNITY WITH THE FATHER HE DECLARES THE GROUND 

OF THAT UNITY — HE SPECIFIES CERTAIN WORKS IN WHICH THAT UNITY 
EXISTS — THE JEWS SILENCED BUT NOT CONCILIATED — THEIR EMBAR- 
RASSMENT IN CARRYING OUT THEIR HOSTILE PURPOSES. 

Emeeging, at length, from the retirement, of which 
mention was made in the previous chapter, Jesus leaves 
Galilee and goes up for the second time to Jerusalem. 
His immediate object is to attend "a feast of the Jews;" 
for it will be observed that the several journeys which 
He made to Jerusalem were only such as were required 
by law, and that, as soon as the immediate occasion of 
His visit had passed, He left the city, seeming to have 
a special disinclination to make it for any time His abode. 

Indeed it is a noticeable fact that Jesus kept aloof from 
Jerusalem, the center of intellectual activity and influence, 
where He might, as it would seem, have brought His doc- 
trines to bear upon the leading minds of the nation ; and 
spent the larger portion of His public life in Galilee*, pass- 



214 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

ing from village to village along the shores of Gennesaret, 
and among its vine-clad hills, followed by fishermen and 
publicans as His trusted friends and disciples. That He did 
so, and yet, by a brief ministry of three years and a half 
impressed Himself on the mind and heart of the world 
more deeply than any man who has ever lived, is in itself 
a sufficient proof of His divine character and mission. 

Much diversity of opinion prevails among scholars, as 
to what feast this was, which our Lord went up to Jerusa- 
lem to attend. Some suppose it to have been the feast 
of Purim ; others incline to the belief that it was the Pass- 
over. The question is chiefly important as bearing upon 
the time during which our Lord prosecuted His public 
minis try. If it was the feast of Purim, his public ministry 
must have lasted only about two years and a half. If it 
was the Passover, as the most judicious commentators 
suppose, it enables us to settle quite conclusively the 
fact that it continued for a longer period. This supposi- 
tion would give us four Passovers during his ministry, — 
the first occurring, probably, about six months subsequent 
to His baptism, and the last in connection with His cruci- 
fixion and death. This gives us for the duration of His 
public labors a period of about three years and a half,— 
a period foreshadowed in the prophecy of Daniel * The 
subject is, it must be owned, attended with an almost 
hopeless uncertainty. The evangelist has given us no 
clue whatever to a right solution. A somewhat celebrated 
Roman Catholic commentator, Maldonatus, seems inclined 
to quarrel with him on account of this omission. We may, 
however, be thankful that a wise inspiration has thus baffled 
and mortified a vain, though learned, curiosity. The point 
at issue is by no means vital to a full and harmonious con- 
ception of the character and mission of Jesus. Whether 

*See Daniel, ix. 27. 



HEALING OF THE IMPOTENT MAN. 215 

He labored on earth a year less or more, is of no conse- 
quence, so far as the work of man's salvation is concerned. 

Let us now accompany our Lord to Jerusalem to witness 
the illustrious miracle which He there performed, and to 
listen to the memorable discourse to which it gave rise. 
The city was at this time thronged with myriads of people 
who had come up to attend the feast, not only from all 
parts of the Holy Land, but also from countries distant 
and foreign. The countless multitude is flowing in an 
unbroken stream toward the temple to witness its impos- 
ing rites and engage in its solemn worship. There is 
One, however, who takes a different direction. There is 
hard by a certain gate called the Sheep Gate, a remark- 
able fountain or pool, called Bethesda. It is said to possess 
at certain times, supernatural healing qualities. At such 
times, an angel descends and agitates the waters. Who- 
ever, thereafter, steps first into the pool is immediately 
made whole, no matter with what disease he may be 
afflicted. So undoubting is the popular faith in this mi- 
raculous virtue of the fountain, that multitudes of invalids 
are gathered about it, waiting for the moving of the 
waters. For their accommodation a stately building has 
been erected, having five porches. These are now full 
of patients sick of divers maladies, — a sad and moving 
spectacle of diseased and distressed humanity. 

The Stranger, accompanied by several persons in the 
garb of countrymen, enters the place. He looks around 
upon the crowd of sufferers with an expression of the 
deepest pity, but His present business is with a single in- 
dividual. On one of the beds lies a man who has been 
a cripple for thirty years. During all that period, he has 
been perfectly helpless. His infirmity, probably paralysis, 
found him a young man, and now he is old. His manhood 
has withered away under this awful malady, and now he 
lies in the porch of Bethesda, and has long lain there, help- 



216 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

less, yet faintly hoping that he may at last be healed by 
means of the supernatural virtue of its fountain. 

Jesus approaches the sufferer. He knows how misera- 
ble his condition is, and how long he has lain thus. With 
accents full of compassion, He says to him, " wilt thou be 
made whole ? " # " Sir," he replies, " I have no man, when 
the water is troubled, to put me into the pool ; but while 
I am coming, another steppeth down before me." t He 
Iseems to have supposed, from the question asked, that 
Jesus, whom he did not know, doubted whether he really 
wished to be healed. Our Lord gives no heed to his mis- 
apprehension. The attention of the sufferer has been se- 
cured and his interest awakened, by the question, and this 
seems to have been the Saviour's design. He now stands 
forth in His divine character as the Lord of life and health 
and blessing. He says to the impotent man : " Rise, take 
up thy bed and walk." t It is no sooner said than done. 
The helpless cripple feels within himself that he is cured. 
He rises, takes up his couch, and leaves the place which 
had so long witnessed his suffering and patient waiting. 

As he joyfully walked through the streets, feeling, we 
doubt not, rather like a disembodied spirit than a being 
of flesh and blood, he was met by certain Jews of the 
stricter sort, who reproved him for carrying his bed on 
the Sabbath, charging it as a violation of the law. Evi- 
dently thinking that One who could heal such an in- 
firmity as his had the right to make law, at least for 
him, the impotent man replied: "He that made me 
whole, the same said unto me, take up thy bed and 
walk."§ Now, mark the malice of these Jews. They 
ask in return, not " What man is that which made thee 
whole f " but " What man is that which said unto thee, 
take up thy bed and walk ? " || In their estimation, the 

* John v. 6. | John v. 7. $ John y. 8. § John v. 11. || John v. 12. 




POOL OF SILOAM. 



HEALING OF THE IMPOTENT MAN. 217 

miracle was of no account, so long as it was accompanied 
by an apparent infraction of the letter of the law. They 
felt no interest in knowing who had power to bring such 
blessing to the wretched ; they were only intent on dis- 
covering who had thus, as they regarded it, desecrated the 
Sabbath day. They would detect Him and visit Him with 
condign punishment. But their malicious purpose was 
thwarted; the desired information was not to be had. 
The man knew not who his benefactor was, and Jesus 
had disappeared in the crowd. 

Not long after this, — how long, we are not told, — Jesus 
found the man who had been restored, in the temple, 
whither he had gone, probably, to render thanksgiving 
for his restoration to health. Knowing what his manner 
of life had been, and that his disease had been caused by 
the sins of his youth, our Lord gravely admonished him 
not to relapse into his former evil ways : — " Sin no more, 
lest a worse thing come upon thee." * Already had thirty 
of the best years of his life been made a blank and a 
burden to him by his sins ; how could a worse thing be 
brought upon him by a return to them? What could 
this worse thing be, unless it was the destruction of soul 
and bodyt in hell, of which our Lord spoke on another 
occasion? This case is a sufficient proof that God does 
sometimes visit the sins of men with special retribution 
in the present life. We can not, indeed, distinguish be- 
tween those sufferings of our fellow-men which are special 
judgments and those which are merely, like the afflictions 
of Job, trials of our faith and patience. This should 
prevent us from indulging in either superstitious or un- 
charitable thoughts. Our inability, however, to determine 
its applications does not change the general fact. That 
some sins are marked out for special punishment in this 

*John v. 14. tSee Matthew xii. 28. 



218 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

life, is a natural and necessary inference from the words 
of Jesus as just quoted. 

As the result of this second interview, the impotent 
man learned that his benefactor was Jesus, of whom, 
doubtless, he had heard much within the few months past. 
Going immediately to the Jews, not, we think, with any 
treacherous intent, but rather with the wish to honor his 
Divine Physician, he told them, not that it was Jesus who 
had commanded him to take up his bed and walk, — whiten 
he would have done had he been disposed to act the part 
of a thankless informer; — but "that it was Jesus which 
had made him whole." * The Jews had now the informa- 
tion which they desired. It was, as they had suspected, 
Jesus, the object of their secret fear and hatred, who was 
responsible for this alleged public desecration of the Sab- 
bath. Hitherto their opposition to Him had been covert ; 
for they knew not how to justify themselves before the 
people, who were always ready to take part with Him. 
Now, however, they could fasten upon Him the charge of 
Sabbath-breaking, and He could not, as they thought, repel 
it. He had commanded the impotent man to carry a 
burden upon the Sabbath, which was a violation of the 
letter of the law. Besides this, in the estimation of these 
Jews, the mere act of healing was a desecration of the 
day. They were, therefore, filled with rage, — rage which, 
in their passionate self-delusion, they fancied to be holy 
indignation. They attacked our Lord in public, — it would 
seem in the temple, — charging Him with an open and 
flagrant infraction of the law, — with the daring sin of 
breaking the Sabbath. 

Of the particulars of this exciting interview, the evan- 
gelist gives a minute account. The defence set up by 
Jesus, which is reported in full, is so sublime and beautiful 

* John v. 15. 



HEALING OF THE IMPOTENT MAN. 219 

that it merits thoughtful attention. As the crime alleged 
was Sabbath-breaking, it seems probable that the Jews 
had cited the passage ; " And He rested on the seventh 
day from all His work which He had made. And God 
blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it, because that in 
it He had rested from all His work which God created 
and made."* Whether this was quoted or not, it was 
doubtless in their minds, for Jesus opens His defence with 
a palpable reference to it, when he says; "My Father 
worketh hitherto and I work." t 

Now, we must not understand our Lord as denying that 
God rested on the seventh day ; but rather as announcing 
the sublime truth that in God there is a union of perfect 
rest with infinite and perpetual activity. His is the re- 
pose of infinite icisdom, incapable of surprise or disappoint- 
ment ; of infinitepower, which nothing can resist or hinder, 
and whose greatest works are accomplished without weari- 
ness or effort ; of absolute immutableness, which, in the 
center of a fluctuating universe, is a steadfast u Eock of 
Ages," even " from everlasting to everlasting ; " of infinite 
holiness, whose unfathomable abysses of peace can never 
be disturbed by sin, or overshadowed by remorse. 

Yet this God of peace, to whom all the cycles of eter- 
nity are one Sabbath, "worketh hitherto' 7 When He 
consecrated the seventh day, it was simply as a memorial 
that those mighty changes by which the present order 
of the universe was ushered in, were finished. There 
was, however, on that day, no withdrawal of? the creative 
energy of Him who worketh all in all, from the things 
which He had made, else had 

" This universal frame so wondrous fair," 

fallen back into chaos : it would have ceased to be. Pres- 

* Genesis ii. 2, 3. f John v. 17. 



220 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

ervation, according to the schools, is continued creation. 
All the laws and properties of matter ; all the phenomena 
of the material world ; all that constitutes the world of 
mind; — all are but the outcomings of the creative will, 
acting according to its own immutable laws. Through- 
out every particle of every world in all these immeasur- 
able oceans of space, God worketh at the present instant, 
and as truly as He did at the moment of their creation. 
The ancient heavens are kept young and unwrinkled, the 
old foundations of the everlasting hills solid and unmoved, 
by the vivifying energy of His secret presence. And all 
this eternal working is without weariness. "Hast thou not 
known ; hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the 
Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not 
neither is weary? there is no searching of His under- 
standing."* Such is the grand truth, asserted by our 
Lord, in justification of His work of healing on the Sab- 
bath day. It was no more a desecration of holy time 
than was the eternal working of the Father. 

In this connection it is noticeable, that in nothing is 
the divinity of Jesus more apparent than in that union of 
Godlike repose and superhuman activity which is always 
visible in His person and actions. He performed His 
mightiest miracles, with as little effort as is put forth by 
God in carrying on the great processes of nature. The 
Sabbath of his soul was never interrupted for a moment, 
when life-giving virtue went out of Him, to heal the sick, 
or even to raise the dead. Besides, His working was pat- 
terned after that of His Father, in all its holiness and 
beneficence. He said on another occasion ; " It is lawful 
to do well on the Sabbath days."t 

But this defence of our Lord, sublime as it seems to us, 
so far from convincing His adversaries, was regarded by 

* Isaiah xl. 28. f Matthew xii. 12. 



HEALING OF THE IMPOTENT MAN. 221 

them as blasphemous. They "sought the more to kill 
Him, because He had not only broken the Sabbath day, 
but said also that God was His Father, making Himself 
equal with God." * A peculiar importance here attaches 
to this language of the exasperated Jews. It shows con- 
clusively what they understood our Lord to mean when 
He spoke of Himself as the Son of God. They understood 
Him to assert His natural equality with the Father, and 
He, so far from even intimating that they were mistaken, 
positively confirms them in the view they had taken of 
His meaning. 

He proceeds to declare in the most solemn manner, the 
perfect unity in power, knowledge, love and action between 
the Father and Himself. u Verily, I say unto you, the Son 
can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father 
do ; for what things soever He doeth, these also doeth the 
Son likewise."! Here is unity of operation. He next 
declares the ground of that unity. c For the Father loveth 
the Son, and showeth Him all things that Himself doeth." $ 
This love of the Father to the Son is tantamount to entire 
self-communication ; so that whatsoever the Father knows 
and does, the Son also knows and does. The only differ- 
ence between them is, that the knowledge and operation 
of the Father are from Himself alone ; while the same 
knowledge and operation in the Son are from the Father 
by that love, or self -communication. 

Our Lord further goes on to specify certain works in 
which there is this perfect unity of operation between 
Him and the Father ; as, for example, the quickening of 
the dead, and the judging of mankind. For as the Father 
raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them, even so the 
Son quickeneth whom He will. For the Father judgeth 
no man ; but hath committed all judgment unto the Son : 

* John v. 18. t John v. 19. % John v 20. 



222 THE LIFE OE CHRIST. 

that all men should honor the Son, even as they honor 
the Father." * " Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour 
is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice 
of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. For as 
the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the 
Son to have life in Himself; and hath given Him au- 
thority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son 
of man. Marvel not at this ; for the hour is coming in 
the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice 
and shall come forth : they that have done good, unto the 
resurrection of life ; and they that have done evil unto 
the resurrection of damnation. I can of mine own self 
do nothing : as I hear, I judge ; and my judgment is just, 
because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the 
Father which hath sent me."t And all this is but the 
explicit expression of His first declaration: "My father 
worketh hitherto, and I work." 

The exposition of the remainder of our Lord's discourse 
is not vital to the narrative. The discourse, as a whole, 
seems to have silenced the Jews. But it by no means con- 
ciliated them. From this occurrence began that persecu- 
tion which never slept until Jesus was taken, and by wicked 
hands crucified and slain. $ It had now become clear to 
the religious leaders of the nation that Jesus was not 
the Messiah whom they desired. His miracles they could 
not deny ; His wisdom and virtue they could not gainsay. 
But He evidently did not belong to them : He had no 
sympathy with the popular religion, or with any of its 
sects. They seem, therefore, about this time, to have de- 
termined to put Him out of the way. This, however, 
they could not effect immediately. They were restrained 
on the one hand by fear of the Boman authorities, and 
on the other, by a dread of the multitude, who regarded 

* John v. 21-23. f John v. 25-30. t See Acts ii. 23. 






HEALING OF THE IMPOTENT MAN. 223 

Jesus as a prophet. Their plan was, therefore, to under- 
mine His influence with the people, and to excite the sus- 
picion and jealousy of the Romans against Him. How 
artfully and perseveringly this malignant scheme was 
carried out the history of the two years following will 
fully disclose. 



PART V. 



The Introductory Ministry 
of Jesus in Galilee. 



CHAPTER I. 

JESUS REJECTED AT NAZARETH, 

JESUS HEARS OF JOHN'S IMPRISONMENT — HE RETURNS TO GALILEE AND 
IS PERMITTED TO LABOR FREELY — HE COMES TO NAZARETH — HE AT- 
TENDS THE SYNAGOGUE SERVICE — HE READS THE LESSON FROM THE 
PROPHETS — JESUS EXPOUNDS THE WORDS OF THE PROPHET — THE IN- 
CREDULITY AND SCORN OF THE NAZARENES — JESUS REBUKES THEM 
SHARPLY — THEIR RAGE — THEY ARE FOILED IN THEIR ATTEMPT TO 
KILL JESUS — THE NAZARENES GIVEN OVER TO UNBELIEF — THEIR RE- 
JECTION OF JESUS ACCOUNTED FOR — GOD, IN HIS WORKS, SIMILARLY 

UNRECOGNIZED BY MEN — JESUS APPEARED ON EARTH AS A MAN 

HIS SINLESSNESS A FACT NOT READILY APPRECIABLE BY MEN — HE 
CONTINUED SO LONG IN OBSCURITY — THE FAMILIAR ACQUAINTANCE 
OF THE NAZARENES WITH JESUS, A HINDRANCE TO THEIR HIGHER 
KNOWLEDGE OF HIM. 

Soon after the events narrated in the preceding chap- 
ter, and while He was engaged in the further prosecution 
of His labors, our Lord received the painful, and yet not 
unexpected tidings, that John the Baptist had been thrown 
into prison * The stern and uncompromising character of 
John, his evident lack of sympathy with the ruling classes 
among the Jews, his unsparing rebukes of the wickedness 
of the age, and his open and positive endorsement of Jesus 
as the Messiah, had, at length, aroused against him a hos- 
tility which could not be appeased short of his life. Know- 
ing as He did the secret hatred and -the diabolical plans of 
the Jews ; and conscious that the neAVS of John's imprison- 
ment would embolden them to attempt putting an end to 
His labors by a like violence, our Lord withdrew from 



* See Matthew iv. 12. 



228 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

Jerusalem, and returned to Galilee. Here, favorably re- 
ceived by the people, who appear not yet to have been 
infected by the animosity of the Jews at Jerusalem, He 
engaged in teaching in the synagogues, and preaching the 
gospel of the Kingdom. That He was permitted to do 
so freely, was not strange. The synagogue worship was 
distinguished for its freedom. The right of teaching was 
not restricted to any class. After the reading of the Scrip- 
tures, in the synagogue service, any respectable person 
was permitted to speak. Then, too, the hostile policy of 
the Jewish leaders had not yet developed itself openly, 
so as to attract the attention, or excite the passions of 
the people. 

On one of His missionary tours, Jesus came to Naza- 
reth, the city where He had been brought up. He seems 
to have arrived several days previous to the Sabbath, dur- 
ing which time He healed a few sick people and preached 
to His former neighbors as He had opportunity. Some 
reports of His miracles at Jerusalem, and perhaps of the 
healing of the nobleman's son, must have reached them, 
yet His coming seems to have created no extraordinary 
sensation, though many, doubtless, felt a vague curiosity 
to see and hear the youthful artisan whose name already 
resounded through the land. 

When the Sabbath was come, Jesus, according to His 
custom from childhood, went into the synagogue to unite 
in the public worship of God. The people had been ac- 
customed to see Him there in company with His mother 
and other relatives, not as a teacher, but as a quiet wor- 
shiper. He had come and gone, just like any other pious 
mechanic. They had not noticed anything extraordinary 
in Him. They had seen nothing to censure ; and, on the 
other hand, there had been little to attract attention. 

On this occasion, when opportunity was given, proba- 
bly after the reading of the prescribed section of the law, 



JESUS KEJECTED AT NAZARETH. 229 

Jesus stood up as a signal, — doubtless in accordance with 
the usage of the synagogue, — that he would read the 
lesson from the prophets. The servant of the synagogue 
handed Him the book of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling 
the volume till He came to what we call the sixty-first 
chapter, He read the first verse and a part of the second. 
The passage is translated by Luke into Greek very freely, 
giving the full sense of the Hebrew original, without ren- 
dering word for word, as in our English version : " The 
Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed 
Me to preach the gospel to the poor : He hath sent Me 
to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the 
captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at 
liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable 
year to the Lord."* 

What a full, glowing description of the Messiah and His 
work! Anointed from above with the Spirit, when the 
heavens were opened, and the Holy Ghost, in the likeness 
of a dove, descended and abode upon Him, He was com- 
missioned to proclaim glad tidings to the miserable and 
perishing; to the sorrowful and poor in spirit; to heal 
the hearts that were contrite and penitent ; to announce 
liberty to all in bondage, and deliverance to all who were 
bruised by any kind of Oppression ; in a word, to publish 
the great, the beautiful year of jubilee, the year of re- 
demption and freedom for mankind, — such was the Mes- 
siah's work as foreshown by the evangelical prophet. 

Having read these words, Jesus rolled up the volume, 
gave it to the servant of the synagogue, and sat down. 
Something in His appearance, and in the reading, com- 
bined with a curiosity previously excited, concentrated 
upon Him the attention of the whole congregation. He 
at once began to discourse to them on the Scripture just 

* Isaiah bri. 1, 2. 



230 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

read, showing its fulfillment then and there, with such 
power and wisdom, such majesty and sweetness, that all 
His hearers w r ere filled with wonder and admiration. The 
expression of the evangelist, — " the gracious words which 
proceeded out of His mouth," is descriptive, more hi the 
Greek than in the English, of a certain charm of elocu- 
tion which distinguished this, and, doubtless, all other dis- 
courses of our Lord. In His teaching, matter and manner 
were exquisitely suited to each other ; great and beauti- 
ful and divine thoughts were clothed hi fitting words, and 
uttered with a voice of thrilling power and sweetness. 
Every word came forth from those holy lips full of life 
and music ; for the fulness of the godhead dwelt in Him 
bodily. 

The hearers were at first captivated. Their prejudices 
were for a moment almost overcome, and they listened 
with unaffected delight to their youthful neighbor. They 
marveled, but did not believe ; for after a little while there 
was a reaction of the vulgar jealousy and spite which had 
for a few moments been charmed away, and they began to 
say, one to another : " Whence hath this man this wisdom 
and these mighty works ? Is not this the carpenter's son ? 
Is not His mother called Mary ? and His brethren, James, 
and Joses, and Simon, and Judas ? and his sisters, are they 
not all with us?" # "This young man," say they, "this 
Jesus, the carpenter, who has lived among us from his 
childhood, who has made our ploughs and yokes, and re- 
paired our houses, whom we have so often seen in our 
streets with saw and hammer, is giving Himself strange 
airs. He sets himself up for our teacher and prophet, 
We never saw anything wonderful in Him. We have 
always known Him as a poor artisan. And then, there is 
nothing in His family to warrant this assumption of su- 

* Matthew xiii. 54-56. 



JESUS REJECTED AT NAZARETH. 231 

periority. We can count up His brothers and sisters on 
our fingers ; and as for His mother, we know her well ; 
her name is Mary. Now, all at once. He has become a 
rabbi, and is followed by disciples. They talk about His 
miracles ; toe never saw any ; let Him work miracles here 
and now." And so the people were offended in Him. It 
does not appear that any believed in Him. Nay, His 
own brothers, — so they were called, according to Jewish 
custom, though they were probably but cousins,^ — did not 
become His disciples till a much later period ; and it would 
seem, that on one or two occasions afterwards, they opposed 
Him. 

When our Lord perceived the altered tone of feeling in 
the assembly, He said to them : " Ye will surely say unto 
me this proverb : Physician heal thyself; whatsoever 
we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy 
country." They were greedy for signs ; they were in- 
credulous and contemptuous ; they regarded it as absurd 
that One whom they had known so long, and as they 
thought, so well, should have suddenly become a great 
prophet and miracle-worker. Should the carpenter's son 
teach them ? Let Him teach Himself first. Let Him not 
assume to know so much more and be so much better than 
His neighbors. At least, let Him give us a sign ; let Him 
do such miracles here as rumor says He has done in Ca- 
pernaum. " Let Him heal Himself in the persons of His 
own countrymen here at home, if He would have them 
do Him homage. Let Him free Himself from the mean- 
ness of His own family relationships, if He would have us 
regard Him as the Saviour of the nation."! 

But Jesus could not gratify their appetite for marvels 
without violating a fundamental principle of His ministry ; 

* This, as the more probable view, is here adopted. A discussion of the 
question involved would be foreign to the design of this book. 
t Lange's " Life of Christ," vol. 2, page 360. 



232 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

and, therefore, He rebukes them sharply for their unbelief, 
and points out its cause. He shows them that there is 
nothing surprising in His being rejected by His own towns- 
men, because no prophet is honored in his own country, 
and among his own kindred. The greatest prophets of 
old had been rejected by their own countrymen. In the 
great famine in the time of Elijah, among all the widows 
in Israel, none had been miraculously relieved except a 
woman in Sarepta, a Gentile city. And in the days of 
Elisha, not a leper was healed in Israel except Naaman, 
the Syrian* 

This discourse, so direct, pointed and severe, enraged 
the people of Nazareth. Was Jesus, then, a great prophet 
like Elijah and Elisha ? Were they spiritually blind and 
incorrigible, like those idolaters of old, and therefore to be 
passed by in the gracious visitations of God. They would 
not bear the arrogance of this insolent upstart; and so 
they rose up in wrath, and, casting Him out of the syna- 
gogue, — which was excommunication, — they thrust Him 
out of the city — which was outlawry, — and hurried Him 
to a precipice near the city, and were about to take His 
life by casting Him down headlong. But now, just as 
the powers of darkness seemed about to triumph in the 
certain destruction of the divine preacher, they were un- 
expectedly foiled and covered with confusion ; His adver- 
saries were suddenly smitten with supernatural terror, 
and deprived of all power to execute their murderous 
purpose. They seem to have been unnerved and para- 
lyzed, by a momentary outflashing of that divine majesty 
which was hidden, not extinguished, by the veil of our 
Lord's humanity. 

" They, astonished, all resistance lost, 
All courage ; ' 



* See Luke iv. 24-27. 



JESUS REJECTED AT NAZARETH. 233 

and Jesus, passing through the midst of them, went His 
way. This was, with one probable exception,* the last 
visit which Jesus made to that hardened and guilty city. 
For well nigh thirty years, the Son of God had dwelt 
among them unrecognized; and now they drove Him 
away with violence and outrage. Henceforth, they seem 
to have been given over to hopeless unbelief. ye un- 
happy people of Nazareth, why did ye not know the day 
of your gracious visitation? 

To some, who judge with eyes of sense, this narrative 
will seem involved in grave difficulties. They will regard 
it as unaccountable, or as even incredible, that the Lord 
of glory should have lived so many years among men, 
and have been all the while overlooked and unknown by 
His daily associates, even by His familiar friends and 
kinsfolk. There must have been — so they reason — some- 
thing so extraordinary, so unearthly, in the person and 
bearing of the God-man, — there must have been such 
wisdom, purity and majesty apparent in all His words and 
actions, as to inspire all who saw Him with reverence and 
awe. It will perhaps seem to such persons a suspicious 
circumstance that the near neighbors, the very relations 
of Jesus, did not believe in Him. 

It is indeed a very startling fact, though for other rea- 
sons than those just mentioned, that the people of Naza- 
reth, even those who knew our Lord best, — His blessed 
mother always excepted — never during so many years sus- 
pected that He was a divine person, nor even a prophet. 
but always looked upon Him as a common man. Let it 
be noted, also, that this fact, — according to human judg- 
ment so discreditable to our divine Master, — is either 
carefully recorded, or plainly alluded to by all the evan- 
gelists. How, then shall we account for both these facts ? 

* See Matthew xiii. 54-58. Mark vi. 1-6. 



234 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

As to the latter, the evangelists might easily have sup- 
pressed the fact. Impostors would have done so. But 
they were not impostors. They were thoroughly honest 
and impartial. This very narrative is the best proof pos- 
sible of their simple, straightforward veracity. 

As to the fact itself, it becomes perfectly clear in the 
light which the Scriptures themselves cast upon it. It 
ought not to strike us as strange or unaccountable, that 
the Son of God lived so long at Nazareth unrecognized ; 
for the Nazarenes were men ; and men had been, for four 
thousand years, blind to divine manifestations. How could 
those who had not before known God, recognize Him as 
manifest in the flesh. From the beginning, God left not 
Himself without witness on earth; for the Word, — the 
same Word who dwelt personally in Christ, — " was in the \ 
world, and the world was made by Him, and the world 
knew Him not." He had by His Spirit garnished the 
heavens, kindled the stars, ensphered the earth in air, bal- 
anced the clouds, bound the seas as with chains, ribbed 
the land and propped the heavens with everlasting mount- 
ains, clothed the hills with forests, and the valleys with 
cornfields, and filled air, earth, and ocean with joyous life. 
Above all, He had formed man in His own image, and en- 
dowed him with intelligence and free will, and the power 
to love, and the capacity for religion, and immortality, as 
well as with outward beauty and majesty. The Word was 
in the world, a ubiquitous Spirit of life, light, law, har- 
mony, goodness — vivifying all, actuating all, governing 
all, blessing all, but "the world knew Him not" What 
wonder that when " He came to His own, His own received 
Him not?" 

We are, moreover, not to forget the manner of His ap- 
pearing among them. He did not embody Himself to 
their view hi a form of terrible glory ; He did not speak 
to them in a voice like the sound of many waters or 



JESUS REJECTED AT NAZARETH. 235 

mighty thunderings ; but He first appeared among them 
as a little child, helpless and dependent, like other chil- 
dren, — the child of Joseph the carpenter, and Mary. He 
ate and drank and slept and dwelt in His humble home, 
like a human creature. He increased in wisdom and 
stature ; grew up from infancy to boyhood, from boyhood 
to youth, and was all the wiiile subject to His parents. 
He appeared on earth a true man ; He was in all respects 
made like unto His brethren, sin only excepted. And this 
exception was not one to strike the attention of the mul- 
titude. They could indeed have decided that any person 
guilty of open wickedness was not an apostle and prophet 
of God ; but the mere absence of sin in the outward life 
would scarcely be observed; for many are blameless in 
their moral conduct who are far from sinless. Holiness 
is the life of God in the soul, and though fruitful in good 
works, is hidden from the eyes of the world. 

Still further, Jesus continued in a private and obscure 
condition for thirty years. He wrought no miracles ; He 
did not publicly teach; He was in all things obedient 
and faithful; but He did not avow His Divine Sonship, 
nor challenge attention, nor demand homage of those 
around Him. The feeling of His neighbors towards Him 
was probably one of profound esteem, unless indeed they 
thought Him enthusiastic and eccentric. This, however, 
they could not have done ; for His perfectly developed 
and symmetrical manhood would not have made suck an 
impression, even on the most stupid and wrong-minded 
among them. But while they thus respected Jesus as a 
singularly pure and pious young man, how could they, 
being evil and ignorant, have discerned in Him the only 
begotten Son of God ? 

It sounds like a paradox, but is nevertheless quite true : 
the people of Nazareth knew not Jesus because they knew 
Him so well. Why is it, that some of our daily associates, 



236 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

inmates perhaps of our own homes, have a less vivid 
impression of our true characters, perhaps even of our 
physiognomy, than comparative strangers ! We say com- 
parative strangers, for considerable acquaintance is of 
course supposed. Those who are with us continually 
soon become accustomed to our peculiarities of feature, 
deportment, speech and character, and after awhile, they 
cease, for that very reason, to notice them. An eccentric 
man hardly seems eccentric to his wife and children. 
Those who have been brought up in the midst of grand 
and beautiful scenery would fail to write as graphic a 
description of it as a traveler from a distant country. 
We cease to observe what is familiar. So it was with 
James and Joses and Judas and Simon, the brothers of 
our Lord. They had been with Him in the house and 
the workshop many years. His humility and meekness, 
His piety and active goodness, were continual and unin- 
terrupted, like the course of nature. They ceased to 
wonder at His virtues because they were uniform, just as 
they never wondered at seeing the moon and the stars in 
the sky, or the sun rise and set. A single wrong action 
in Jesus would have shocked them like an earthquake ; 
but they no more wondered at the absence of such an 
action in Him, than that no earthquake disturbed the 
serene tranquility of the landscape. Had He been in a 
slight degree imperfect, His transcendent goodness would 
have been better appreciated. In all these respects, then, 
the people of Nazareth were like human beings the world 
over. Eeader, they were, perhaps, not unlike you and 
me. 



CHAPTER II. 

JESUS ON THE WAY TO CAPERNAUM. 

JESUS DEPARTS FOR CAPERNAUM — PRESSED BY THE MULTITUDE ON THE 
SHORE OF THE LAKE, HE TEACHES THEM FROM A BOAT — HIS DIS- 
COURSE FINISHED, HE DIRECTS HIS DISCIPLES TO LAUNCH FORTH AND 
CAST THEIR NETS — THE MIRACULOUS DRAUGHT OF FISHES — PETER'S 
ASTONISHMENT AND SELF-REPROACHFUL CONFESSION — JESUS QUIETS 
HIS APPREHENSION — THE TRANSACTION AN ACTED PARABLE — THE EF- 
FECT OF IT ON THE DISCIPLES — REFLECTIONS. 

Rejected at Nazareth, Jesus departs for Capernaum, 
teaching the people who, attracted by His growing fame, 
gathered about Him, from the adjacent cities and villages. 
On one occasion, as He was passing along the shore of 
Lake Gennesaret, the multitude so pressed upon Him 
that it became annoying, and even prevented His speak- 
ing to them effectively. Seeing an empty boat at hand 
which belonged to Peter, He entered it, and requested 
him to thrust out a little from the land. Sitting thus in 
the boat, at a convenient distance from the crowd, He 
taught them. The scene is one worthy of a Christian 
painter. There, in that boat, we see the saintly form of 
the Divine Teacher ; all along the shore, crowding to the 
water's edge, and leaning forward with fixed gaze and 
attentive attitude, to hear the words of Him who spake 
as never man spake, we behold the multitude of long- 
robed, turbaned, bearded, wild-looking Galileans. They 
follow His words with breathless interest, now giving ut- 
terance to low murmurs of doubt or perplexity, and now 
breaking out into exclamations of surprise or approval. 



238 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

When, at length, Jesus had finished His discourse, He 
directed Peter to launch the boat into deeper water, and 
let down the nets for a draught. Peter, not in a spirit of 
unbelief, perhaps, but yet without much faith, replied that 
they had toiled all night without success ; yet, as He had 
commanded it, they would cast the nets and make another 
effort. The boat moves off from the shore into the deeper 
water. Peter is at the helm. He goes mainly out of 
deference to his Master. As an old fisherman, he knows 
that appearances do not promise success. Nevertheless, 
when they reach the proper place they let down the nets, 
and lo, the multitude of fishes taken is so great that they 
can not draw them into the boat without help ; so they 
beckon to their partners in the other boat to come to 
their assistance. When the net is finally drawn in, the 
haul is found to be prodigious ; both boats are loaded to 
the water's edge : they begin even to sink. 

Peter, who, — as well as his partners in the other boat, 
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, — was all the while 
stupefied with wonder and astonishment, now remem- 
bered his former unbelief and his half-reluctant obedience, 
and falling upon his knees before Jesus broke out into 
language of mingled surprise, alarm, and self-reproach : 
" Depart from me ; for I am a sinful man, Lord." # This 
manifestation of the divine power, in the exercise of his 
own trade, was characteristic of divine 0£>erations gen- 
erally in the history of Christianity; he was thus led 
from the carnal to the spiritual. All his previous impres- 
sions were revived and deepened by this sudden exhibi- 
tion of the power of a word from Christ ; and the Saviour 
appeared so exalted that he felt himself unworthy to be 
near Him. The divine power appears fearful in its holi- 
ness to the sinner who is conscious of his sinfulness ; it 

*Luke v. 8. 



JESUS ON THE WAY TO CAPERNAUM. 239 

fills him with consternation — he shrinks back with tremb- 
ling* To feel himself in the immediate presence of a 
Divine Being, as Christ had just proved Himself to be, 
caused Peter to cry out, in language like that of the 
people to Moses, when, at the giving of the law, they 
removed and stood afar off: '-Let not God speak with us, 
lest we die." t 

In all tins, however, Peter was yet in a legal state, 
under the bondage of fear and trembling in the presence 
of God. He had not attained to that higher state in 
which divine manifestations do not terrify, but melt the 
heart into tenderness and love. Into that higher state 
Jesus now invites him : " Fear not ; from henceforth thou 
shalt catch men;" t or, as Matthew has it: "Follow me; 
and I will make you fishers of men."§ From this it 
appears that this entire transaction is to be regarded as 
an acted parable. Jesus appears as the Master Fisher- 
man ; Peter and his partners as servants and helpers; 
unregenerate men as the fish ; and the worldly and sinful 
life the troubled element in which they dwell. These 
last, it is the great purpose of the gospel ministry to 
catch, not for death, but life, as indeed the Greek word 
here used signifies ; that is, to raise them from a lower to 
a higher element ; from the foul and earth-laden waters 
of sin to the pure and heavenly atmosphere breathed b}" 
saints and angels, and by God Himself. " I will make 
you fishers of men ; " u Leave these boats and nets ; you 
are chosen to preach my gospel to all the world ; and the 
gospel shall be as the net you have just cast; it shall 
enclose a great multitude of men; for I, who just now 
guided the fish into your net by an influence that you 

*Neander's "Life of Christ," pages 1G3 and 164. 
t Exodus xx. 19. 
$ Luke v. 10. 
§ Matthew iv. 19. 



240 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

could not understand, am able, by a secret operation of 
grace, to incline the hearts of men to believe the word 
which you shall preach. Therefore, fear not ; for by my 
assistance you shall be more successful in your new and 
heavenly calling than you have just now been by the 
same assistance in your secular trade." 

That this was the real purport of the whole transaction ; 
and that it was so understood by the disciples, Simon and 
Andrew, is evident from the effect which it produced upon 
them. At the call of Jesus, they immediately left their 
boats, their nets, their little all, and from that moment 
followed Jesus constantly, and with almost unswerving 
faith and fidelity. A similar effect was produced upon 
James and John, who were at a little distance in a ship, 
mending their nets, and to whom Jesus, just after, ex- 
tended the same call, "They immediately left the ship, 
and their father, and followed Him." * 

Now, it can not but be seen that there is something 
most wonderful in all this. Suppose that some far-seeing 
prophet had been standing on the shore of Gennesaret, 
an eye-witness of these transactions, and in company with 
an Athenian philosopher. Turning to the philosopher, 
the seer calls his attention to the boat in which Jesus sits, 
with Peter, eager, earnest, watchful, at his side. "See you 
that young man,"< says he, " clad in coarse garments, but 
so meek and tranquil in countenance, on whose words His 
companion hangs with such strange reverence, with such 
mingled wonder and delight ? A few months ago He was 
a carpenter in a village a few miles beyond those hills : a 
few years hence, He will be revered as a Divine Teacher, 
and worshiped as the incarnate God, by nations that never 
heard of Socrates and Plato, of Zeno and Epicurus. A 
religion called by His name will extend its influence over 

* Matthew iv. 22. 



V 



JESUS ON THE WAY TO CAPERNAUM. 241 

the whole world 5 its holy worship, its solemn rites and cer- 
emonies, will be celebrated in gorgeous temples, when the 
crumbling structures of your own Acropolis shall be looked 
upon with mingled regret and abhorrence, as the beautiful 
relics of an unholy superstition. And the fisherman who 
sits in the same boat, and who lives yonder in Capernaum, 
will hereafter preach the doctrines of this Nazarene artisan 
to thousands upon thousands of eager disciples, in Jeru- 
salem, in Babylon and in imperial Rome. One of those 
young men in the other boat, — the son of that old gray- 
bearded fisherman yonder, — will write books in your own 
Greek tongue, — albeit not in classic style, — which will be 
earnestly studied by millions of devout readers, thousands 
of years after he is dead ; and which, translated into other 
tongues, shall exercise a living and powerful influence on 
the civilized world, when the boasted productions of your 
poets, historians and philosophers shall be looked upon as 
dead classics, and be confined to the schools of the learned. 
The time will come when the name of this carpenter, and 
of these fishermen, will have more authority in Rome itself 
than that of emperor or god. A long succession of mighty 
potentates will wage implacable war with the religion now 
being founded by this obscure Galilean ; but the might 
of legions and the arts of statesmen shall prove powerless 
to impede its progress ; and a few generations hence, the 
throne of the Csesars will be filled by a disciple of this 
same Jesus, the Son of Mary. Even the name of Simon 
Peter, the fisherman of Galilee, will be more potent and 
venerable in Rome than that of any sage, orator, consul or 
emperor known in her whole proud annals." What, think 
you, would have been the emotions of the philosopher 
as he listened to a prophecy like this ? He would have 
treated it with silent contempt: his proud lip would have 
curled with a sneer ; not a word would he have deigned 

to utter in reply. His inner thought would have been, 
16 



242 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 



"what fanatics, what fools these Jews are?" and, so he 
would have turned away, not knowing that "God hath 
chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the 
wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the 
world to confound the things which are mighty; and 
base things of the world, and things which are despised, 
hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring 
to naught things that are ; that no flesh should glory 
in His presence."* 

* 1 Corinthians i. 27-29. 












CHAPTEE III. 
JESUS AT CAPERNAUM. 

JESUS GOES TO CAPERNAUM — HIS FAVORABLE RECEPTION — EFFECT OF HIS 
TEACHING THE DEMONIAC — EXTENT AND TERRIBLE EFFECTS OF DE- 
MONIACAL POSSESSION — THE DEMON RECOGNIZES THE SON OF GOD — 
JESUS REBUKES HIM AND CASTS HIM OUT — THE AMAZEMENT OF THE 
PEOPLE — JESUS HEALS PETER'S WIFE'S MOTHER — THE EXCITEMENT 
PRODUCED BY THESE MIRACLES — PICTURES ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE 

PREVALENT FEELING THE VIEW GIVEN BY THESE EVENTS OF CHRIST'S 

ACTIVITY — THE RELATION OF HIS EXERCISE OF THE GIFT OF HEALING, 
TO HIS MISSION. 

Teaching by the way, as lias been narrated in the pre- 
vious chapter, our Lord at length arrived at Capernaum, 
to which place His mother and His brethren seem not long 
afterwards to have followed Him. Indeed, this favored 
city became the place of His residence during the re- 
mainder of His Galilean ministry. In this region and at 
this time Jesus encountered little or no opposition. The 
healing of the nobleman's son was doubtless well-known 
to the people, and the report of our Lord's proceedings 
while on the way from Nazareth had probably reached 
them in advance, and prepared them to give Him a favor- 
able reception. Hence, He was everywhere received with 
enthusiasm. Wherever He went, the people were drawn 
to Him, and hung upon His lips with wonder and delight. 
His striking presence and peculiar manner made this less 
strange. Never had such words before been heard, — 
words full of love and life and joy, — for, in truth, He was 
the word made flesh, and all His utterances were divinely 



244 THE LIFE OF CEBIST. 

true and beautiful. His hearers could not but mark the 
contrast between His teachings and those of their scribes, 
who rehearsed only the scholastic and traditional glosses 
on the law and the prophets ; whereas He spoke with au- 
thority as a lawgiver, and with infallible assurance as a 
true and faithful witness, declaring what He knew and 
testifying what He had seen. All who were not blinded 
by prejudice were charmed by that blended majesty and 
meekness of wisdom, that conjunction of divine purity 
and tender compassion, which were disclosed in all His 
sayings. 

Soon after Jesus came to Capernaum, we find Him in 
the synagogue on the Sabbath day. There happened to 
be in the congregation a man who was suffering from a 
mysterious and terrible disease. He was a demoniac; — 
that is to say, he was possessed by an evil spirit, who had 
obtained the mastery over his soul and body, and had 
indeed come into so intimate a relation with him, that the 
miserable wretch seemed to himself to have a double 
personality. His sufferings were horrible beyond descrip- 
tion. Epilepsy, insanity, convulsions, deafness and many 
other ailments, were the ordinary effects of this visitation. 
This unhappy man was but one of a great multitude, in 
that age, who were similarly afflicted. The fallen spirits 
seem to have had extraordinary power over that genera- 
tion. Yearning, — as perhaps all evil spirits do,* — after a 
corporeal and sensuous life, they had found means to cross 
the gulf which separates the world of spirits from the 
world of sense ; and had gained possession of innumerable 
men and women, and even children, whom they found 
physically and morally susceptible to their influence. 

*See Isaac Taylor's "Physical Theory of another Life." It is many 
years since I read that remarkable book. Its republication is a desideratum 
of the present time. 



JESUS AT CAPEKNAUM. 245 

The subjects of this influence became objects of terror 
and loathing to themselves and their friends ; and many 
of them fled from their homes and wandered naked in the 
deserts, and among the tombs. They were the terror of 
travelers. None could hear their despairing cries without 
shuddering. The malady was then among the Jews as 
it is not unlikely to become in our own day, a stern and 
dreadful reality, more to be feared than any natural 
disease or epidemic, like plague or Asiatic cholera. 

Such was the disease of the demoniac in the synagogue. 
The demon was conscious of a divine and holy presence 
in the assembly ; he felt the approach of a heavenly power 
by which he was judged and punished ; he knew the seed 
of the woman, — the Serpent-bruiser — the Son of God, — and 
cried out, using the organs of his victim : " Let us alone ! 
What have we to do with Thee, Thou Jesus of Nazareth ; 
art Thou come to destroy us ? I know Thee, who Thou 
art, the Holy One of God." # Thus the powers of hell 
recognize their Judge and Destroyer; thus they recoil 
from their doom. They are unwilling to relinquish their 
prey, hence the outcry. The purpose of the demon in 
this case was to bring suspicion on Jesus, and to precipi- 
tate the great conflict by a premature disclosure of His 
divine character. But Jesus, who would not receive tes- 
timony from Satan, said to the demon : ".. Hold thy peace 
and come out of him."t The evil spirit knew the voice 
of power ; he could not resist it, and so, enraged and de- 
spairing, he threw the man on the ground, racked him 
with convulsions, forced from him fearful inarticulate 
cries, and came out of him. The sufferer was now healed 
in body and soul. 

Great was the amazement of the people who had wit- 
nessed this conflict and victory. This seems to have 

* Luke iv. 34. t Luke i v . 35. 



246 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

been the first cure of the kind that Jesus wrought, and 
they therefore crowded together, and exclaimed with one 
voice: "What a word is this? for with authority and 
power He commandeth the unclean spirits and they 
come out."*' Yes, ye people of Capernaum, it is a word 
of power! It sounds through all the regions of hell; 
and the grisly principalities and powers tremble and cry 
out under this first stroke of that iron rod which shall 
dash them to shivers like a potter's vessel ! 

After the synagogue service, Jesus, accompanied by 
James and John, went to the house of Simon Peter 
and Andrew, who were citizens of Capernaum. Finding 
Peter's mother-in-law sick of a violent fever, He stood 
over her, and uttered the menacing yet healing wdrd, 
which thrilled through her life as if He was rebuking an 
evil spirit in the disease. Then taking her by the hand, 
He lifted her up, and the fever instantaneously left her. 
Conscious of the cure, and full of gratitude, she prepared 
a festive entertainment for her Holy Guest. By this time, 
the humble dwelling of Peter had become the centre of 
interest for all Capernaum. The talk in every house was 
of the wonderful cure of the nobleman's son a few day s 
before, of the demoniac in the synagogue, and concerning 
the mighty words of Jesus and the meek majesty of His 
presence. Hope is stealing into many a sick room, and 
mantling with a flush of joy the pallid face of many an 
invalid. Header, let us in imagination, pass through the 
city during these closing hours of the Sabbath, and note 
the feeling awakened among the people, by the presence 
of the Divine Healer. In one house lies a wasted, dying 
girl. Hearing of the cures wrought by the new Prophet, 
she beckons her mother to her couch, and with one hand 
stilling her throbbing heart, with the other so thin and 

* Luke iv. 36. 



JESUS AT CAPERNAUM. 247 

white, she draws down her mother's head and whispers, 
"Do you not think that Jesus can cure me? I wish you 
would have me carried to the house of Simon. They say 
Jesus is gentle and kind ; surely He would lay His hand on 
me and heal me." In another house the husband comes 
to his bed-ridden wife, who has been long chained down 
by paralysis, kisses her pale cheek and says, "My poor 
wife, this morning I saw Jesus of Nazareth heal a poor 
demoniac in the synagogue, and since the service He 
has cured Simon's mother-in-law of a raging fever. I 
have faith that He can cure you. If you are willing, 
I will take you in my arms this evening and carry you 
to Simon's house." She assents, while a tear steals down 
her cheek. In still another house, the father and mother 
whisper sadly together about their son, who is a raving 
maniac, even now shrieking and tearing himself in the 
next room; and they determine when the sun sets to 
carry him to Jesus. And then, there is the blind boy 
whom every body loves and pities, and the lame beggar 
who crawls about on crutches, and the leper who dwells 
apart, and many others, scattered through the city, all 
beginning to wonder whether Jesus can not heal them. 
Capernaum is indeed wrought up to a pitch of extra- 
ordinary excitement. Many hearts are throbbing with 
mingled hope and fear. At last the sun sets, and the 
Sabbath is ended. And, behold, the streets are full of 
people, — men, women and children, old and young, many 
borne on couches and in the arms of their friends, all 
flowing in an unbroken stream to the humble dwelling 
of Simon the fisherman. The door stands wide open : 
they press into the presence of the Great Physician ; He 
lays His hands on every one of them, and heals them all. 
It is probable that until a late hour of the night, the 
people continued to press into the presence of Jesus and 
were healed by Him. 



248 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

" What an insight does the account of this day, so marked 
by deeds of love and mercy, give us into the nature of our 
Lord's ministry in Galilee ! What holy activities, what 
ceaseless acts of mercies ! Such a picture does it give 
us of their actual nature and amount, that we may well 
conceive that the single day, with all its quickly succeed- 
ing events, has been thus minutely portrayed to show us 
what our Redeemer's ministerial life really was, and to 
justify, if need be, the noble hyperbole of the beloved 
Apostle, that if the things which Jesus did should be 
written, every one, the world itself could not contain 
the books that should be written." * 

As our history advances Jesus comes more and more 
into view as the Healer of diseases. A large portion of 
His time seems to have been taken up in relieving the 
bodily wants and maladies of men. This may at first 
strike us as surprising; but a little reflection will con- 
vince us that it fell in with the great purpose of His 
mission. He came into the world to destroy the works 
of the devil, to overthrow the kingdom of evil. The 
Scriptures teach us that all the physical sicknesses and 
sufferings of mankind, and death itself, spring from the 
moral corruption of human nature — from the sinful life 
of the race ; in other words, that they have their root in 
original sin, which implies an influx, according to a natu- 
ral, hereditary susceptibility, of satanic evil and misery 
into every individual of the human family. " The world 
lieth in the Wicked One." t All disease comes from sin ; 
not, indeed, in all cases from the actual transgressions of 
the individuals afflicted ; nevertheless, from sin. Natural 
evil is moral evil passed over from the spiritual world to 
the material ; it is sin overflowing the soul and working 
destruction in the body ; it is the outermost blossoming, 

* Ellicott's " Life of Christ," page 160. t See 1 John v. 19. 



JESUS AT CAPERNAUM. 249 

or rather the ripening fruit of that great tree of heredi- 
tary depravity which strikes its roots into the burning 
marl of hell. " Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth 
death."* 

Now as the sin of the first Adam was the beginning 
of disease and mortality in the world, it was fitting that 
the second Adam should be a fountain of health and life. 
And such was Jesus. His very body was a reservoir of 
healing virtue. To touch His flesh was to be made whole ; 
for He gave His flesh for the life of the world. This is 
what we should have expected in a Eedeemer who came 
to abolish death and destroy him that hath the power of 
death ; that is, the devil. Jesus, as the Son of man, had 
the deepest sympathy with men in their sufferings. What- 
ever hurt humanity in any of its members, wounded Him. 
Milton, in a terribly realistic passage of the Paradise Lost, 
represents Adam as beholding and lamenting, in a vision^ 
the diseases and sufferings of his posterity : — 

" Immediately a place 
Before his eyes appeared, sad, noisome, dark ; 
A lazar-house it seemed, wherein were laid 
Numbers of all diseased ; all maladies 
Of ghastly spasm, or racking torture, qualms 
Of heart-sick agony, all feverous kinds, 
Convulsions, epilepsies, fierce catarrhs, 
Intestine stone and ulcer, colic pangs, 
Demoniac frenzy, moping melancholy, 
And moon-struck madness, pining atrophy, 
Marasmus and wide-wasting pestilence, 
Dropsies and asthmas and joint-racking rheums ; 
Dire was the tossing ; deep the groans ; despair 
Tended the sick, busiest from couch to couch. 
Sight so deformed what heart of rock could long 
Dry-eyed behold ? Adam could not, but wept, 
Though not of woman born." f 

* James i. 15. f Paradise Lost, book xi. line 467. 



250 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

Now all this burden of human infirmities and sicknesses, 
Jesus bore through sympathy with His brethren — a sym- 
pathy which prompted and qualified Him to be the 
Great Physician. Further, it was by these miracles 
of healing that our Lord largely carried on His great 
work of saving men from their sins. The cures which He 
wrought generally, if not universally, extended to the 
souls of men ; He healed the whole man. The healing 
was, in fact, but part of that full salvation which He came 
to bestow. We cannot imagine that any of those who 
were healed by Christ rejected Him as their Saviour ; and 
we know that many of them became His devoted and 
faithful followers. Such a demonstration of His love to 
them, and of His supernatural power, could not but win 
their lasting gratitude and obedience. 

Christ's miracles of healing were also essential to His 
self-revelation, as the incarnate Word, in whom was the 
life of men. Every cure was in itself a demonstration of 
the highest spiritual truth, that in Him dwelt all the ful- 
ness of the Godhead bodily. His works were not only 
attestations of His authority as a teacher, but they were 
essential parts of His teaching. The life which went forth 
from Him as the Healer, was the light of men. 






CHAPTER IV. 

JESUS HEALING THE LEPER. 

JESUS AT EARLY DAWN WITHDRAWS INTO A SOLITARY PLACE TO PRAY — 

THE MULTITUDE SEEK HIM HE REFUSES TO TARRY AT CAPERNAUM, 

AND ENTERS ON HIS FIRST MISSIONARY CIRCUIT — SCANTINESS OF THE 
SACRED NARRATIVE AS TO HIS LABORS — THE LEPROUS MAN — HE COMES 
TO JESUS AND PRAYS TO BE HEALED — JESUS HEALS HIM — WHY JESUS 
TOUCHED HIM — WHY JESUS CHARGED HIM TO TELL NO MAN — THE LEPER 
SPREADS THE NEWS ABROAD — THE MIRACLE INDICATIVE OF CHRIST'S 
SELF-CONSCIOUS MASTERY OVER DISEASE — SIGNIFICANCE OF THE 
MIRACLE. 

Shokt were the slumbers of Jesus, after the labors of 
the preceding day. Long before dawn He silently left 
His bed, and went to a solitary, desert place, probably on 
a neighboring mountain, "and there prayed." Though 
He was the Son of God, He felt the need of frequent 
seclusion, even from the society of friends and disciples, 
to refresh His soul and recruit His physical vigor in un- 
interrupted communion with the Father. While He was 
thus engaged in solitary devotion, the multitude again 
thronged to Peter's house ; but not finding Him whom 
they sought, Peter, already as it would seem familiar 
with his Master's habits, and not doubting whither and 
for what purpose He had gone, led the way to the place 
of His retirement. Fearing that He was about to leave 
them, they earnestly entreated Him to remain in Caper- 
naum. Deeming it wise, however, to let the popular ex- 
citement subside till calm reflection should prepare the 
way for that divine doctrine which He longed to impart, 



252 THE LIFE OF CHE1ST. 

our Lord declared that His mission required Him to preach 
the kingdom of God to other cities and villages. So, with- 
out returning to Capernaum, He entered on what has been 
called His first missionary circuit 

As this journey occurred before the calling of Matthew, 
and, possibly, before Peter and John entered into active 
service, it is not strange that the accounts given of it by 
the evangelists are exceedingly brief and general. In- 
deed, of its details, with the exception of one incident, we 
really know nothing. It would appear, however, that our 
Lord went from village to village of that densely peopled 
region, everywhere teaching in the synagogues and work- 
ing miracles. Every day probably resembled, in its be- 
neficent activities, that memorable Sabbath in Capernaum. 
The people welcomed Him with enthusiasm ; nay, many 
flocked to Him from distant places, even from Judea and 
Perea. A single miracle, which pro o ably belongs to this 
journey,* is narrated by the evangelists : 

While Jesus was passing through a certain city, — the 
multitude not being at the time with Him, — there came 
to Him a man, as Luke the physician states, " full of lep- 
rosy." His skin cracked and peeled and disclosing the raw 
flesh beneath ; his body covered with ulcerous tumors ; his 
joints stiff and swollen ; his eye-balls red and fixed in their 
sockets ; his breath fetid and his voice husky like that of a 
dog hoarse with long barking; — all these symptoms proba- 
bly marked him as the victim of an extreme form of that 
terrible disease. Living corpse as he was, his mental suf- 
ferings must have been of an aggravated kind. Excluded 
from the congregation as unclean; avoided with horror 
by those who had been his dearest friends ; compelled to 
warn off all those who approached him, by crying with 

*See Andrews' "Life of Christ," pages 223 and 224; see, also, Robin- 
son's " Harmony," page 24. 



HEALING OF THE LEPER. l06 

hoarse and hollow voice, "unclean, unclean ;" he had wan- 
dered about the outskirts of the city, with rent garments, 
head bare and lips covered, a helpless, hopeless outcast, 
until life had become a burden and a loathing. At length, 
however, a faint hope dawned upon his weary and despair- 
ing spirit. He had heard of the gracious miracles wrought 
by Jesus. Perhaps he had witnessed some of them. He 
may have hung around the outskirts of the multitude, 
on several occasions, when Jesus was healing the sick. 
The question had occurred to him: "Why can not this 
Great Physician heal me ?" The thought took such hold 
upon him that he watched for an opportunity when, 
the multitude being absent, he might venture into the 
presence of Jesus. 

And now the time has come, and with eager, trembling 
haste, lest the approach of some one should compel him to 
withdraw, he comes to Jesus, and falling prostrate before 
Him, with upturned, imploring eye, he murmurs in hoarse, 
broken accents : " Lord, if Thou wilt Thou canst make me 
clean." * Never was prayer more artless, direct, eloquent ; 
never did any prayer breathe a truer faith or a deeper 
pathos. What wonder that Jesus was touched with com- 
passion; that He felt drawn towards the outcast from 
whom all men shrank with horror, and that putting forth 
His hand and touching him, He gave an answer, patterned 
after the sufferer's prayer: "I will; be thou clean."! By 
that touch, healing virtue was imparted ; for immediately 
the leprosy departed from him. His loathsome, putrefy- 
ing skin became like the skin of a little child ; his blood, 
so lately creeping sluggishly through his veins a polluted 
and poisonous stream, now courses joyously and full of 
life through his body ; the leper feels that he is healed. 
What wonder that, though Jesus charged him to tell no 

*Luke v. 12. f Luke v. 13. 



254 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

man, he could not restrain his joy; that he could not 
keep to himself the wonderful cure which had been 
wrought in him ! 

It will be noticed that Jesus, in violation of the cere- 
monial law, touched the leper.* This was through no 
forgetfulness of the prohibition. That was doubtless de- 
signed to prevent a ceremonial defilement, and, possibly, 
communication of the disease to others. No such precau- 
tion was necessary in the case of Jesus. That life-giving 
hand could contract no defilement, no disease. Besides, 
Jesus was Lord of symbols and ceremonies; as He was 
Lord of the Sabbath. In the prosecution of this work 
as Redeemer, He would be bound by no positive com- 
mands which He came both to fulfill and abrogate. 

Why Jesus charged the leper to tell no man, is a 
question which has elicited from commentators many in- 
genious conjectures, the most probable of which is that sug- 
gested by Grotius and Bengel, and endorsed by Trench.f 
" See thou tell no man till thou hast shown thyself to the 
priests ; lest if a rumor of these things go before thee, 
the priests at Jerusalem, out of envy, out of a desire to 
depreciate my work, may deny either that thou wast 
before a leper, or else that thou art now truly cleansed." 
The striking remark of Lange is also worth quoting : 
" The man should, in the first instance, say nothing of the 
touching which had taken place, because by that he 
would expose the Lord to the necessity of undergoing a 
Levitical quarantine for the sake of the more timid 
among the people. But he might with prudence let the 
priests know that he had been healed miraculously by 
Jesus after the healing had been certified to them by the 
official declaration and the acceptance of the offering; 
so that he could bring forth a testimony unto them, be- 

* Leviticus xiii. 46. t Trench on "Miracles, page 180. 



HEALING OF THE LEPER. 255 

cause otherwise, in consequence of their former ill-feeling 
toward Jesus, they might have been inclined to question 
the reality of the cure. So the leper should provide him- 
self with that attestation before he told of the miraculous 
aid of our Lord."* 

Aside from all this, it is not improbable that other con- 
siderations had weight with Jesus. It was not in accord- 
ance with the divine humility of His nature, either to 
court or to countenance the vulgar popularity which was 
likely to arise from the noisy proclamation of His mighty 
works. Besides this, He would, doubtless, set an example 
for His disciples, especially for His ministers in all ages, 
to whose piety and real usefulness all such popularity 
must prove a fatal snare. It is not unlikely also, that He 
regarded it as important to the spiritual welfare of the 
man who was healed, that, instead of dissipating his re- 
ligious feelings by empty talk, he should ponder the deep 
significance of the miracle in silence, and in thankful 
communing with the Father of all mercies, who had thus 
given him life from the dead. Having thus charged the 
now cleansed leper, Jesus forthwith sent him away. But 
the man found his joy too great to be smothered in silence ; 
and in mere grateful and loving loquacity, — it would 
seem, — he blazed the matter abroad, till the excitement 
of the people ran so high, and the concourse of the multi- 
tude became so great, that Jesus was compelled to retire 
into the wilderness where he prayed. This brief nar- 
rative therefore opens and closes with a view of Jesus 
praying in the wilderness. 

This miracle is in two aspects highly suggestive. We 
note the conscious mastery over all the powers of life ex- 
pressed in the words of Christ ; " I will ; be thou clean." 
The word followed swift as lightning on the prayer, 

*Lange's ''Life of Christ." 



256 THE LIFE OE CHRIST. 

sovereign, mighty, decisive. It was an instantaneous out- 
flash of a will conscious of unlimited energy. There is no 
reflection, no hesitation, no preparation ; but all the con- 
fidence of power that never distrusts itself. Was not 
this the Son of God? Again, in all its deep-seated and 
incurable loathsomeness, the leprosy was eminently a vivid 
type of sin. Like that, it is in the nature of sin to poison 
the very fountain of life in both body and soul, and to 
work through every fiber of the being a most revolting 
corruption, from which holy beings can not but shrink 
with horror, and which must exclude its victim forever 
from the society of those yet uncontaminated. And 
neither in the sinner himself, nor in human pity and 
power, is there any alleviation or cure. Only in Jesus is 
there help or hope for the leprous soul. To Him the 
sinner must come ; to Him, even in his utter helplessness 
and despair he may come ; with only the pitiable appeal 
of his misery, and the simple prayer : "Lord, if Thou wilt 
Thou canst make me clean," he shall not in vain approach 
the Divine Physician ; his cure is certain ; the life-giving 
word will be spoken, — " I will ; be thou clean." 



CHAPTER V. 

JESUS HEALS THE PARALYTIC AT CAPERNAUM. 

JESUS AGAIN AT CAPERNAUM, SURROUNDED BY THE MULTITUDE — A PAR- 
ALYTIC IS BROUGHT TO HIM — JESUS DECLARES HIS SINS FORGIVEN 

THE PHARISEES SECRETLY CENSURE IT AS BLASPHEMY — READING 

THEIR HEARTS, JESUS REBUKES THEM AND HEALS THE SICK MAN 

THE EFFECT ON THE PEOPLE — THE PARALYTIC A REPRESENTATIVE OF 
MAN AS SINFUL AND SUFFERING THE DEEP-SEATED AND INERADICA- 
BLE EVIL OF SIN — EXPIATION AND FORGIVENESS NOWHERE IN NATURE 
OR HUMANITY — BOTH FOUND IN JESUS — THE PROBLEM HOW TO GAIN 
ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS — EXTERNAL ASSURANCE OF GOD'S PLACA- 
BILITY — INTERNAL ASSURANCE — KNOWN BY ITS EFFECTS — ASSURANCE 
NOT ALWAYS EQUALLY CLEAR. 

After having spent some portion of the summer, — 
how much is not indicated by the evangelists, — in this 
His first missionary circuit, our Lord returned to Caper- 
naum. His return excited universal interest and enthusi- 
asm, and a multitude gathered about Him, — some of them 
persons afflicted with disease, who came to be healed by 
Him; — others scribes, Pharisees, and doctors of the law, 
drawn not only from different parts of Galilee, but from 
Judea and Jerusalem itself, who had gathered together at 
the house where He lodged, to listen to His teachings and 
to learn His peculiar views and projects. 

The friends of a certain paralytic, hearing that Jesus 
was in the city, and remembering the wonderful miracles 
of healing which He had wrought there not long before, 
resolved to carry the sufferer on his bed to the Great Phy- 
sician. Approaching the house, they found it so thronged 

with people, within and without, that it was impossible to 
17 



258 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

enter. Not to be thwarted in their charitable purpose, 
they ascended to the flat roof of the house, and, removing 
some of the tiles, made an opening large enough to let 
down the couch into the room where Jesus sat. 

Our Lord was struck with the evident faith of the friends 
of the paralytic, and with the appearance of the sick man 
himself. From the peculiar language which He subse- 
quently used, it would seem that He sympathized with 
him, not only as afflicted with a painful bodily disease, 
but also as burdened with a sense of sin, the root of this 
and all other maladies. Perhaps the disease had come 
upon him in consequence of some particular vice : if not, 
it was certainly, — by a connection more or less remote, — 
the fruit of moral depravity. Of one or the other, the 
man was painfully conscious; and hence he came to Jesus, 
full of sorrow on account of sin, yearning less for bodily 
than spiritual healing. His inmost want, — and this Jesus 
knew full well, — was forgiveness. 

Coming thus into His presence, it is impossible for words 
to express the deep and tender interest which filled the 
heart of Jesus in his behalf, and the look of compassionate 
love which beamed upon His countenance. The poor par- 
alytic uttered not a word, breathed not a syllable of a 
prayer, — perhaps he was not able to do so, — but to Jesus 
his dumb misery and sorrow were more eloquent than 
any words. Jesus at once tenderly addressed him, mainly 
regardful, however, of the hidden and deeper sorrow of 
his heart : — " Son, be of good cheer ; thy sins are forgiven 
thee." * Happy sufferer! would that we had been in thy 
place; that those peace-giving words could have been 
spoken to us ! 

This declaration, sweeter to the sick man than heavenly 
harpings, fell gratingly on the ears of the unbeheving 

* Matthew ix. 1. 



HEALING OF THE PAEALYTIC. 259 

Pharisees. "Why," said they to themselves, "doth this 
man thus speak blasphemies ? Who can forgive sins but 
God only?"* They had a true insight into the nature 
of forgiveness ; they knew that to forgive sins, was an in- 
communicable prerogative of God ; they knew that for a 
creature to snatch at this prerogative, was aggravated 
blasphemy; and regarding Jesus as a mere creature, 
they could not but think Him a blasphemer. They kept 
their thoughts, however, locked within their own breasts. 
Jesus, knowing in His spirit that they reasoned thus in 
their hearts, proceeded to give them a visible demonstra- 
tion of His power to forgive sins. Assuming that they, 
with all their unbelief, would recognize a necessary rela- 
tion between His sovereign power over the effect and 
His assumed prerogative over the cause, He said to them ; 
" Whether is it easier to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee ; 
or to say, Arise and walk ? But that ye may know that 
the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins, 
(then saith He to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up 
thy bed and go unto thine house." t And the command 
penetrated to the very seat of life in the sick man's na- 
ture ; his will, spiritually renovated, regained the mastery 
over the nerves and muscles of his palsied frame, and he 
at once arose, took up his couch and went to his house. 

The hour was not only a happy one for the suffering 
paralytic, but it was a glorious one for Jesus. Not only 
had He evinced His power to relieve the physical suffer- 
ings of mankind, but He had conclusively demonstrated 
His divine right to relieve them from their spiritual dis- 
tresses ; to forgive their sins, and to take away the bur- 
den of sin from their heart. This He had done with such 
unmistakable authority and power that it carried convic- 
tion to the hearts of the people; for "They were all 

* Mark ii. 7. t Matthew ix. 5, 6. 



260 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on 
this fashion."* 

The paralytic may stand as a representative of both 
fallen and redeemed humanity; and the story of his 
cure, (thanks to the Holy Comforter for inditing it I) may 
teach us most interesting and important lessons. He was 
diseased in body and soul; a sinner and a sufferer; 
equally miserable and helpless. He had a polluted soul 
imprisoned in a diseased and suffering body : thus his two- 
fold nature was under the empire of evil, and he had no 
power to redeem himself. In these respects he was a type 
of humanity at large. 

Then, too, though not a word is recorded touching his 
former history, and though he himself gives no voice to 
the workings of his heart, we know, — for he was himself a 
fragment of humanity, — one of us, — that down deep in the 
center of his soul there was an agonizing consciousness of 
sin, of moral disorder, of thralldom, of condemnation ; and 
there was, amidst all the seeming hopelessness of his con- 
dition, an unutterable yearning for redemption. thou 
poor paralytic brother, though no word of thine has been 
borne to our ears across the gulf of centuries, in the silence 
of our own souls we hear thy dumb wailings and entreat- 
ies, for they are the still, sad voice of humanity itself, in 
myriads of individual souls, agonizing for pardon and 
peace. 

With this deep consciousness of sin and suffering, who 
does not feel that with respect to redemption, he, too, is a 
helpless paralytic ? Alas, the disease of sin is deep-seated 
and defies all remedies of human devising. It strikes its 
roots clown into our very nature ; it thrusts itself with its 
poisonous growth into the will and the affections ; its ten- 
drils take fast hold upon our physical being, twine around 

*Markii. 12. 



HEALING OF THE PARALYTIC. 261 

our habits, — those deep foundation-stones of character, — 
and intertwist themselves with all the fibers of our im- 
mortality. We can not escape our sins ; we can not con- 
quer them ; we can not even forget them \ they are ever 
rising to our view, like the ghosts of the murdered ; they 
shake their gory locks at us; they point with skeleton 
fingers to our coming doom. Oh sin, sin ! it fills all 
pillows with thorns, and pierces every heart with many 
sorrows. 

Yet with all this consciousness of sin, when the stricken 
sinner appeals to mature, to earth, to heaven, for expiation, 
and an assurance of forgiveness, he finds neither. The 
stars are dumb ; there is no rain in the sweet heavens to 
wash away the stain of guilt. The cattle upon a thousand 
hills, offered as an expiation; rivers of sacrificial blood 
poured out upon countless altars, — not all this can cleanse 
the conscience or extinguish remorse. Nor does the voice 
of angel or spirit whisper : " Thy sins be forgiven thee." 
And so palsied humanity lies helpless, with despairing 
wail and struggle, under the burden of its unexpiated 
guilt. And this, until it is brought helpless, and in mute 
penitence, to the feet of Jesus. There it finds that the 
" Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins." There 
only it gains the blessed assurance of forgiveness ; not the 
assurance of a mere external, judicial pardon — of a legal 
release from condemnation and the pains of hell, but some- 
thing more sweet and heartfelt, — a sense of forgiveness 
and reconciliation shed abroad in the heart, — forgiveness 
transitive upon the sinner himself — felt, rejoiced in, and 
treasured up as a "hope that maketh not ashamed." 

The paralytic was forgiven first, and then healed. And 
so in all cases, forgiveness sooner or later draws after it 
deliverance from all kinds of evil. He whose transgres- 
sion is forgiven, whose sin is covered, to whom the Lord 
doth not impute iniquity, will sooner or later be delivered 



262 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

from all the bitter consequences, natural as well as moral, 
of his depravity. He is made an heir of life ; death is 
abolished; he is assured of a double immortality, — an 
immortality of both soul and body. The act of forgive- 
ness, like an unfading rainbow, bends over all the ages 
of his immortality. So blessed a thing is it to hear the 
voice of the Son of Man saying to us:/' Son, be of good 
cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee." 

But the question naturally arises, how does the forgiven 
spirit thus hear the voice of the Son of man? How is 
the assurance of pardon communicated to the penitent 
sinner ? And the question is an important one ; for there 
is in the heart of every man in a natural state a deep 
distrust of God's placability and mercy, as well as a fear 
of His justice and His wrath. With this instinctive doubt 
in the human soul all things seem to conspire : Nature 
gives no assurance, not even a hint that the infinite and 
holy sovereign of the universe will forgive sin ; the law 
has but one stern, inexorable voice : " The soul that sin- 
neth it shall die." How to overcome this distrust ; how 
to inspire a guilty soul with a reasonable hope of divine 
mercy ; how to convince a rebel yet in arms that God is 
willing and waiting to be gracious ; — this was one of the 
great problems which Jesus undertook to solve. 

In the prosecution of this purpose, He made a clear, full 
and overpowering external manifestation of the goodness, 
the pity, the placability of God. This He did in all His 
teachings, His miracles, His sufferings, His death. Who- 
ever saw Him in the flesh could no longer distrust the 
mercy of God; for Christ was divine mercy embodied 
in human form, speaking with a human voice, weeping 
human tears, stretching forth arms of human tenderness 
and pity toward the lost and wretched, and pouring out 
human blood upon the cross ; all to manifest the forgiv- 
ing love and pity of God towards sinners. His death has 



HEALING OF THE PAKALYTIC. Zb6 

been well and touchingly termed "the reconciliation- 
death;" "For He made His soul an offering for sin; He 
bore the sins of many, and made intercession for the 
transgressors."* And, in full testimony of all this, the 
sinner has the "gracious words" of the everlasting gos- 
pel; the ever-living tokens of the holy sacraments, and 
the blood-washed church with its ministries of redeeming 
mercy. 

But something more than this is necessary to make the 
general declaration of forgiveness personal : to bring it 
home with fulness and certainty to the individual soul. 
" Thy sins be forgiven thee." Here the narrative of the 
healing of the paralytic comes to our aid. He and his 
friends had heard of our Lord's power and kindness; 
they had a general assurance of His ability and willing- 
ness to heal. Confiding in this, they came to Jesus. 
"When He saw their faith," — this includes the sufferer 
himself, — " He said to the sick of the palsy : Son, be of 
good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee." The faith of the 
subject preceded the definite assurance of forgiveness. 
And so it is in all cases. The forgiving mercy of God 
in Christ is declared generally to all the guilty and per- 
ishing. But to those who feel their guilt and misery, 
and who, with eyes fixed on the cross, cry: " God be mer- 
ciful to me a sinner," there is granted on the ground of 
their faith, nay, in it, a direct internal assurance of their 
forgiveness. 

This assurance is conveyed by no supernatural impres- 
sion, no mysterious voice. It is recognized rather by its 
effects, of which this is the sum : it is peace. The sense 
of guilt is taken away ; fear gives place to love ; confi- 
dence supplants distrust. The love of God is shed abroad 
in the heart. The humble, adoring penitent begins to ex- 

'* Isaiah liii. 12. 



264 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

ercise the faith of appropriation. His language is : "I 
believe. Lord, that thou lovest me, that thou forgivest me. 
Thou hast atoned for my sins ; thou hast blotted them out 
as a cloud, and my transgressions as a thick cloud. I hear 
thy voice saying to me : ' Son, be of good cheer, thy sins 
are forgiven thee.' The promises are made to me ; pardon 
and life and salvation are sealed to me." It is proper, 
however, to guard against the error of assuming that this 
assurance is equally vivid in all justified persons, or in the 
same saint at all times. Either from temperament, con^ 
dition or actual sin, the soul may at times be plunged into 
darkness and doubt. Nevertheless this divine testimony 
is given with greater or less clearness to every child of 
God ; and it will be renewed with increased distinctness 
as often as, in the divine discipline of the soul, it seems 
desirable for its spiritual welfare. 



CHAPTEE VI. 

JESUS REBUKES THE FORMALISM OF THE PHARISEES. 

IMPORTANCE OF A JUST IDEA OF THE SECT OF THE PHARISEES — HUMAN 
NATURE TENDS TO FORMALISM — JUDAISM DESIGNED TO AWAKEN A 
SENSE OF SIN AND A LONGING FOR SPIRITUAL DELIVERANCE — JUDAISM 

IN THE TIME OF JESUS IN ITS DECLINE — THE PHARISEES THEIR 

EARLIER POSTURE TOWARDS THE MISSION OF JESUS — THEIR FIRST 
OPEN RUPTURE WITH HIM — JESUS ABOUT TO JOIN ISSUE WITH THEM — 
THE CALLING OF LEVI — THE FEELINGS OF THE PHARISEES TOWARDS 
THE PUBLICANS — THEIR VIEW OF THE CALL OF LEVI AS AFFECTING 
THEM — THE DISCIPLES PLUCK AND EAT CORN ON THE SABBATH — THE 
PHARISEES COMPLAIN OF IT TO JESUS — HIS ANSWER — THE IMPOTENT 
MAN — THE PHARISEES QUESTION JESUS ABOUT HEALING ON THE SAB- 
BATH — HE RETORTS UPON THEM WITH ANOTHER QUESTION — HE HEALS 
THE WITHERED HAND — THE PHARISEES, ENRAGED, CONTEMPLATE 
OPEN HOSTILITY — NECESSARY CONFLICT BETWEEN CHRISTIANITY AND 
FORMALISM. 

During our Lord's residence at Capernaum, several in- 
cidents occurred which brought Him more directly than 
ever before, into collision with the Pharisees. As we shall 
find them especially referred to in our Lord's teachings, 
and largely concerned in the hostile movements which re- 
sulted in the violent termination of His career, it becomes 
almost necessary to a right understanding of His life, that 
we attain just views of this remarkable sect. 

Human nature, under whatever form of religion, uni- 
versally tends to formalism. After a positive religion has 
outlived the fervor and freedom of its youth, unless coun- 
teracting forces come into play, it will crystallize into a sys- 
tem of frigid dogmas and prescribed ceremonies. There 



266 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

is the clearest evidence that Judaism was, for many ages, 
full of vitality and power. Faith in a personal Jehovah, 
the living, almighty, holy, faithful God of Abraham, Isaac 
and Jacob made the worship of the Hebrews spiritual and 
earnest. That faith, produced a deep sense of inward 
discord and wretchedness, such as is described in Paul's 
epistle to the Romans* This awakened a longing for 
some divine deliverance, so that the Jewish mind was pre- 
pared to give credence to the choral voices of prophecy, 
singing from age to age the coming Redeemer. 

But it was not only the mission of the Jewish system to 
awaken this expectation of deliverance, but also to demon- 
strate its own utter impotence. Hence, it was permitted 
to become old and effete ; to harden into a rigid formalism, 
which had just vitality enough to serve as a point of con- 
nection between the more devout and susceptible minds 
in the Jewish nation and the doctrines of Jesus. One fact 
sufficiently demonstrates that Judaism had entered upon 
this final stage, when, both without and within, it was 
well-nigh ossified. We refer to the fact that the sect of 
the Pharisees had come to be almost absolutely predomi- 
nant throughout the nation. Indeed, it was indebted for 
its very existence, to a national consciousness of decay and 
incipient dissolution. Out of that consciousness arose a 
fond looking back towards the golden age of the theocracy, 
an eager catching at every gleam of tradition, an anxious 
preservation of every vestige of an idolized antiquity. 

Hence, both in respect to doctrine and rites of worship, 
the Pharisees conformed to the traditions of the fathers. 
They attached less and less importance to the spiritual, 
and even to the moral part of religion, but were exact 
and ostentatious in the observance of mere external cere- 
monies. They were ingenious and unwearied in finding 

*See Romans vii., passim. 



JESUS REBUKES PHARISAISM. 267 

grounds for excusing, and even justifying the most flagrant 
moral delinquencies ; while they were intolerant and vin- 
dictive towards all who were chargeable with the least 
infraction of their traditions, and the least departure from 
their ceremonial observances. Their ablutions, their fast- 
ings and their prayers ; their tithings and their alms-giv- 
ings were all according to rule, and were regarded as 
meritorious in themselves, aside from the state of the 
heart. They affected an intense asceticism, altogether 
alien to the spirit of the Mosaic institutions, and to the 
earlier worship of Jehovah. 

The people regarded their reverence for tradition as 
evincing a purer nationality of feeling ; they accepted 
their rigorous asceticism as a more perfect holiness. 
These came to be regarded as the peculiar, the distin- 
guishing characteristics of the sect, and drew about them 
the wealth, the learning, and the piety of the nation. 
They thus came to be an organized, numerous and pow- 
erful sect. The majority of the priests and rulers be- 
longed to their number ; and hence, the affairs of the na- 
tion, both ecclesiastical and civil, came under their almost 
supreme control. Their schools were so famous that the 
most intelligent young men of the nation resorted to 
them ; many, even, like Saul of Tarsus, from distant lands. 
The heads of the sect, among whom in the time of Christ 
was Gamaliel (for more than thirty years president of the 
Sanhedrim), resided in Jerusalem ; but a multitude of ad- 
herents were scattered through all the cities and villages 
of the Holy Land. These were everywhere held in the 
highest veneration, and were, in fact, the religious teachers 
and governors of the people. 

We are now prepared to understand the position as- 
sumed by the Pharisees with regard to the new religion 
and its teachers. Two years had elapsed since John the 
Baptist began to preach among the hills of Judea, — 



268 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

" Eepent ye, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand." A 
large number of the sect, carried away by the general en- 
thusiasm, had come to his baptism. They did not at first 
oppose him ; they never did so openly. Possibly, many 
were willing to believe that he was really commissioned 
to proclaim the advent of the expected Messiah. Hence, 
when Jesus was baptized by John; and when afterwards 
He was publicly pointed out as the Messiah, they main- 
tained a cautious reserve. They neither acknowledged 
nor denounced Him. Events had not yet so far devel- 
oped His true character or claims, as to render either 
course politic or necessary. Hence, they took precisely 
the ground which we should have expected from a sect 
so intelligent, respectable and conservative : they treated 
Jesus with distant courtesy, listened closely to His dis- 
courses, witnessed His miracles with cold curiosity, and 
said nothing. 

As events progressed, however, and it became evident 
that Jesus was not a person likely to sympathize with 
them, or to contribute to their prestige and power, their 
suspicions were awakened, and they became really hostile 
to His movements. Yet, as He seemed to be a strict ob- 
server of the law ? and was evidently possessed of super- 
natural powers, they were unable to obtain any plausible 
hold upon Him, and were therefore deterred from evincing 
their hostility openly. Hence for more than a year they 
permitted Him to prosecute His mission unmolested, al- 
though they kept close watch upon all His movements. 
Their first open rupture with Him occurred in connection 
with the healing of the impotent man on the Sabbath day, 
an account of which has already been given. They then 
became satisfied that He was at heart hostile to them. 
They assumed that He was opposed to the law, and charged 
Him with blasphemous assumption in calling Himself the 
Son of God, — a title which they held could be claimed by 



JESUS KEBUKES PHARISAISM. 269 

none but the Messiah Himself. Against His Messiahship 
they at once arrayed themselves, and so — there being no 
alternative — settled it that He iras a heretic, a blasphemer, 
and a seditions leader. They, therefore, at once took 
measures which looked ultimately to the destruction of 
His influence with the people and to His judicial murder. 

At this we shall be less surprised when we reflect that 
as a powerful hierarchy becomes hollow and hypocritical, 
it magnifies the importance of formal orthodoxy. A de- 
parture from the established creed and the prevailing 
forms comes to be regarded by them with greater horror 
than open profligacy. In process of time, these self-con- 
stituted guardians of orthodoxy lose their power to dis- 
criminate between error and mere innovation — between 
reformation and heresy. Every one who refuses to sub- 
mit with implicit faith to their decisions will, therefore, 
be condemned by them as a criminal, and, provided the 
power is not wanting, will be punished as such. Hence, 
every old and corrupt sect has always been ready to 
start the hue and cry of heresy and blasphemy, whenever 
a bold and zealous reformer has risen to expose and re- 
buke its corruption. Witness the anathematizing Church 
of Rome, drunk with the blood of the saints. Witness 
the treatment received at its hands by Luther, Melanc- 
thon, Zwingle, Cranmer, and even Arnauld, Pascal and 
Savonarola, to say nothing of hundreds of others of her 
own communion whose complaint and outcries were sum- 
marily stifled amidst the darkness and the damps of her 
inquisitorial dungeons. It matters not whether it be a 
Papal or a Pharisaical hierarchy; human nature is the 
same. Hence, Jesus was marked out for persecution and 
martyrdom. 

Such was the posture of the Pharisees at the time when 
this part of our narrative opens. There was imposed upon 
Jesus the necessity of asserting His entire independence 



270 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 






of them, of defending Himself against their attacks, and of 
unmasking their corruption and hypocrisy. Several inci- 
dents occurred during His sojourn at Capernaum, which 
clearly evinced His purpose, in this direction, and which 
had the effect of exasperating them in the extreme. 

The high road from Damascus to the cities along the 
coast, passing by Jacob's bridge over the Jordan, ran 
thence along the shore of Lake Grenivesaret, and through 
Capernaum. On this road, and near its entrance into the 
city, there appears to have been a place of toll. Here sat 
Levi, a publican, one of the Koman tax-gatherers so hate- 
ful to the people. Passing near the place one day, our 
Lord observing Levi, who is believed to be identical with 
Matthew, said to him, " Follow me." Obeying the divine 
call, Levi immediately abandoned his business and followed 
Jesus, becoming one of His acknowledged disciples. With 
regard to the effect of the call of Levi, or Matthew, on 
the Pharisees, the evangelist gives us little direct informa- 
tion. Still it is evident from the nature of the case that 
it must have been highly distasteful to them. The pub- 
licans were a despised and hated class. Their presence 
among the Jews was a constant reminder of the subjugated 
state of the nation, — of its helpless dependence on the 
will of a detested heathen power. Any civil recognition 
of them was synonymous, therefore, with a want of patri- 
otic regard for Jewish nationality. 

Besides this, it is quite evident from subsequent events, 
that the Pharisees looked upon such attention on the part 
of Jesus to the publicans as indicative of His personal 
contempt for their sect and its claims to superior holiness. 
As He claimed to be the Messiah, it amounted to a rejec- 
tion of them, as unworthy a part in His mission or a place 
in His kingdom. Skeptical as they were with regard to 
His Messiahship, they were too proud not to feel such a 
slight, when put upon them before the very eyes of the 



JESUS KEBUKES PHAKISAISM. 271 

multitude, and by a man so far acknowledged as a prophet 
of indisputable purity and power. 

The consciousness that our Lord looked upon them with 
growing disfavor, led the Pharisees to seek for occasion 
to depreciate His claims to higher religious views and 
superior personal holiness. An incident soon occurred 
which gave them the much coveted opportunity. It was 
now the time of harvest. The fields were yellow with 
the ripened wheat. Passing, one Sabbath day, through 
a neighboring wheat-field, perhaps on their way to the 
synagogue, our Lord's disciples, being hungry, plucked 
the ears of corn, and, rubbing them in their hands, sep- 
arated the grain from the chaff, and ate it. This was ex- 
pressly allowed by the law of Moses, and hence appears 
to have occasioned no misgiving on their part. The 
Pharisees, however, had put such acts among the labors 
which were prohibited on the Sabbath day. They there- 
fore come to Jesus and apprise Him of this grave misde- 
meanor on the part of His followers. "Behold," say they, 
" Thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do on the 
Sabbath day !"* 

Our Lord, who knew at once -that the reproof was 
intended for Him rather than His disciples, defends Him- 
self by urging the superiority of a free obedience to the 
spirit of the law, over a slavish conformity to its letter. 
He takes them upon their own ground of peculiar rever- 
ence for the law, by citing from Jewish history several 
examples of an innocent, and even commendable violation 
of the letter of the law. " David," says Re, " when fleeing 
from the wrath of Saul, entered the tabernacle, and not 
only partook of the consecrated shew-bread, which was 
forbidden to any but the priest, but gave it to his asso- 
ciates. Nay, you have an example in your own times. 

* Matthew xii. 2. 



272 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

Your priests themselves, in their Sabbath ministrations, 
perform many acts of physical labor; but you do not 
charge them with sin." Knowing that the Pharisees 
would allege that the temple consecrated the labor of 
the priests, He gave them to understand that there was 
One present who was greater than the temple. Jesus 
was m fact the true temple, of which the other was only 
the type. If, then, those who served the latter might 
labor on the Sabbath in that service, how much more 
might those who served the former. 

He now proceeds to press a truth upon them which they 
must have felt as a pointed personal rebuke. He virtually 
charges them with ignorance of their own prophets. He 
refers them to the language of God as given by Hosea; 
" I desired mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of 
God, more than burnt-offerings." * " If," said He, " ye had 
known what this meaneth, ye would not have condemned 
the guiltless"! That is: "If you had understood your 
own sacred writings; if you had had any just comprehen- 
sion of the spirit of your own religion, you would have 
known that love and mercy are greater than all ceremonial 
service ; and you would have shown your regard for them, 
by forbearing to condemn the innocent." Having thus 
indicated the purpose of the Sabbath, as made for man's 
comfort and blessing, — as designed not to burden or en- 
slave him, but to be beneficently used by him ; He pro- 
ceeds to assert His absolute authority over the Sabbath, — 
in fact, over all times and seasons. a The Son of Man is 
Lord even of ths Sabbath day," t says He, and with this 
startling declaration, abruptly dismisses the subject, and 
leaves them. 

The Pharisees, though eilenced by our Lord's bold and 
searching language, were not convinced. On the very 

* Hosea vi. 6. f Matthew xii. 7. $ Matthew xii. 8. 



JESUS REBUKES PHARISAISM. 273 

next Sabbath they find occasion to renew their attack. 
Our Lord was present in the synagogue, where there was 
a man who had a withered hand. The muscles of his arm 
seem to have been shrunk and paralyzed so that the limb 
was both deformed and useless. The affection was the 
more severe, because it was the right hand which was 
withered. Seizing upon his case as one likely to excite 
the compassion of Jesus, and to call forth His exercise of 
this healing power, His watchful enemies indirectly called 
His attention to the man by the apparently innocent ques- 
tion; "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?" # Fully 
comprehending their malicious design, Jesus immediately 
caused the man to stand forth in the sight of the as- 
sembled congregation, that his miserable condition might 
be apparent to all and might appeal to their common 
humanity. Having done this, He turns upon His perse- 
cutors with another question; "Is it lawful to do good on 
the Sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life or to kill?"t 
This was a master-stroke. As with a flash of light, it 
revealed the false and fatal issue which the Pharisees had 
forced upon themselves. In their minds the question lay 
simply between doing and not doing ; the real alternative 
was that of doing good or doing evil. That this was so is 
evident'; for, had our Lord in the present case refused to 
heal the miserable sufferer, — who, according to a very an- 
cient tradition, was a mason, and therefore dependent on 
his hands for his subsistence, it would have been doing 
evil; it would have been equivalent to destroying life. 
To cure him was to enable him to support life ; was in fact 
to save life. Pressing His argument further, He demands 
of them : " What man shall there be among you that shall 
have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the Sabbath day. 
will he not lay hold on it and lift it out? How much, 



* Matthew xii. 10. f Matthew iii. 4. 

18 



274 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

then, is a man better than a sheep ?"* "Would you 
forbid the Great Shepherd to save one of His human 
flock, fallen under so dire a calamity as this ? Would you 
have Me less merciful to a man, than you would be to a 
brute ? Your question solves itself. c It is lawful to do 
well on the Sabbath days.' " t 

Conclusive as was this reasoning, the Pharisees were 
too uncandid and stubborn to acknowledge it: they an- 
swered Him not a word. Aroused by this ungenerous 
behavior on their part, He a looked round about on them 
with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts," 
and at once asserted His right and His power to heal on 
the Sabbath. " Stretch forth thine hand ! " said He to the 
man, with an energy and a look of majesty which must 
have been startling and sublime. And the man stretched 
fnr+h his hand, and it was made whole like the other. 
Here, then, He had healed a man on the Sabbath, not pri- 
vately, as at Bethesda, but in the open synagogue, in the 
very face of His adversaries ; in defiance of their express 
challenge of His right to do so. They were confounded 
and filled with rage. Going out, they consulted with cer- 
tain Herodians, courtiers of Herod Antipas, who happened 
to be there, how they might destroy Him. Open war was 
declared. Accepting the conflict, Jesus henceforth with 
the utmost fearlessness ceased not to warn His disciples 
and the people against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. 

The only lesson to be drawn from these events, which 
we pause to notice, is that of the uselessness of all air 
tempts at compromising between Christianity and formal- 
ism. There is no common ground for them; there can 
be no peace between them. Whatever delay there may 
be, ultimate and irreconcilable conflict is inevitable. Chris- 
tianity may treat formalism as Jesus did the Pharisees, 

* Matthew xii. 11, 12. t Matthew xii. 12. 



JESUS REBUKES PHARISAISM. 275 

with courtesy and gentleness ; it is of no avail. In what- 
ever age, under whatever name it may manifest itselfj it 
is morally certain that Pharisaism will array itself against 
"pure religion and undefiled." After eighteen centuries, 
its arrogance, bigotry, and hatred of the "truth as it is 
in Jesus," are still patent to the view and abhorrence of 
mankind. 



CHAPTER VII. 

JESUS CHOOSES THE TWELVE APOSTLES. 

JESUS WITHDRAWS FROM CAPERNAUM — HE GOES UP INTO THE MOUNTAIN 
AND SPENDS THE NIGHT IN PRAYER — OCCASION FOR THE CALLING OF 
THE APOSTLES — HE SUMMONS THE TWELVE INTO HIS PRESENCE — THE 
MEN CHOSEN OF NO INFERIOR ORDER — SIMON: HIS CHARACTER: PRE- 
EMINENCE IN THE APOSTOLIC COLLEGE — ANDREW: ANTECEDENT HIS- 
TORY : HIS PECULIAR RELATION TO JESUS : CHARACTERISTIC TRAITS 

THE " SONS OF ZEBEDEE " — JAMES : HIS CHARACTER AND RELATIVE 
PROMINENCE — JOHN: HIS COMPARATIVE YOUTH: HIS CHARACTER : HIS 
IMPORTANT RELATION TO THE CHURCH AS A THEOLOGIAN AND PROPHET 
— PHILIP: HIS LEADING TRAITS — BARTHOLOMEW: IDENTITY WITH NA- 
THANAEL, AND HIS CHARACTER — THOMAS : HIS PECULIARITIES — MAT- 
THEW : BRIEF NOTICE OF — JAMES THE LESS: CHARACTER, AND POSITION 
IN THE CHURCH — JUDE : PERSONAL TRAITS — SIMON ZELOTES : CHAR- 
ACTER AS A ZEALOT — JUDAS ISCARIOT : MYSTERY RELATIVE TO HIS 
ANTECEDENTS : FIRST THEORY AS TO HIS CHARACTER AND COURSE : 
SECOND THEORY : PROBABLE TRUTH AS TO HIS CASE : MYSTERY AS TO 
OUR LORD'S SELECTION OF SUCH A CHARACTER — CLOSING THOUGHTS. 

Jesus, knowing that the Pharisees and Herodians had 
conspired to put Him out of the way, now withdrew from 
Capernaum to a neighboring part of the coast. Here His 
presence was eagerly sought by multitudes who came 
from the extremities of Palestine, and even from beyond 
its borders, to hear the words and witness the mighty 
works of the Great Prophet. Such was the pressure of 
the people upon Him, in their eagerness to get near His 
person, that it at length became necessary for a boat to 
wait upon Him, so that He might, when occasion required, 
betake Himself to it, and thus address the hearers upon 
the shore without discomfort or danger. His labors during 



CALLING OF THE APOSTLES. 277 

this period must have been excessive. The cures which 
He wrought were numerous and extraordinary. 

Let us contemplate a scene w r hich was presented at the 
close of one of these His missionary days. It is evening. 
The gold and crimson are fading from the western sky, 
and from the placid surface of Gennesaret. The stars — 
such stars as we never see in our less transparent sky — 
come out in their splendor, and look down tenderly on 
the shrouded landscape. The multitude, some short time 
since dismissed by our Lord, are scattered among the 
neighboring villages in search of food and lodging. All 
is now quiet, where so lately was heard the hum of 
thronging multitudes. Turn now your gaze to yonder 
mountain ridge rising from the dusky plain, with its three 
horns * or cones sharply denned against the clear star-lit 
sky. Look intently and you will see through the dark- 
ness a solitary figure ascending the steep acclivity. No 
sound from the world below can reach that lofty height ; 
all is still and solemn as eternity. There alone and under 
the open heavens, Jesus bows Himself to the earth in 
prayer. The evangelist Luke records that He " continued 
all night in prayer to God." t 

The occasion of these solemn communings with the 
Father was this. He was about to take an important step 
in advance. During several months, He had preached the 
approaching kingdom of God, in Judea and Galilee. The 
hearts of thousands had been touched; the hearts of a few 
had been stirred to their lowest depths. A considerable 
number had come to discern in Him the Christ, the Son 
of the living God, and they were longing for His manifest- 



*For indications that the hill, known as the "Horns of Hattin," was the 
"Mount of Beatitudes," see Stanley's " Sinai and Palestine," page 360; 
Andrews' "Life of Christ," page 248. 

fLuke vi. 12. 



278 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

ation. As yet, however, the movement had been purely 
spontaneous and unorganized. The time had come for 
our Lord to institute the germ and nucleus of His church. 
The twelve foundation-stones of the temple were to be 
selected, hewn and polished. He was about to choose 
and commission His Apostles. 

The immediate and visible occasion of the calling of 
the apostles was that very concourse of the people which 
we have so often noticed. It had become apparent that 
Jesus could not personally impart instruction to all who 
resorted to Him; neither could He with His own hands 
heal the multitude of sick who were brought to Him. 
Hence His more intelligent and devoted disciples were 
to be His authorized ministers, both in teaching and in 
working miracles. Some of them were qualified to pro- 
claim the first principles of the Kingdom of God ; and to 
heal in His name and by His power. Through them He 
might multiply Himself so that those who were like sheep 
scattered abroad might in some degree be shepherded 
under His gracious care. 

Not only were the apostles thus to be selected for this 
special work ; their office was intended to endure and be 
more largely developed after His removal from the scenes 
of His earthly ministry. They were to be witnesses of 
His life, death, resurrection and ascension, not only to the 
Jews, but also to all nations; and, under their fostering 
care, the Church was to grow up from a feeble infancy to 
vigorous youth. They were to be replenished with the 
life of their glorified Master, and to be Christ to the world. 
They were to be inspired by the Holy Comforter, to teach 
and govern and feed His flock, bought with His own blood ; 
and they were to be invested with supreme authority on 
earth. We cannot doubt that Jesus saw the end from the 
beginning. His plan was fully settled. His Church, in 
its final and perfect organization, was clearly discerned 



CALLING OF THE APOSTLES. 279 

by His prophetic eye, which looked far beyond His per- 
sonal ministry, — far beyond the cross ; far beyond the clay 
of Pentecost ; far beyond the " lost sheep of the House 
of Israel," — to ages and nations hidden from other eyes 
in the darkness of the future. What wonder that, when 
about to call and ordain His apostles,— the first step in the 
organization of His Church, — He spent a whole night, on 
that lonely mountain in prayer. 

The morning at length dawned. The multitude came 
together at an early hour, and thronged up the mount- 
ain slope. But they were arrested ere they reached the 
summit, even the disciples being kept back from the little 
plateau where Jesus was seated. 'Those, and those only, 
came near Him whom He called by name. Those who 
were thus summoned were His chosen aposfles. The list 
is, on many accounts, worthy of profound study. It dis- 
plays the far-seeing wisdom of Him who looks not on the 
outward appearance, but on the heart; and who selects 
His servants and ministers, not according to the maxims 
of worldly prudence and political sagacity, but on princi- 
ples which to the world are not only incomprehensible 
but foolish. 

"It behooved Him to select a number of men in whom 
the riches of His life might be unfolded in every direc- 
tion. For this end He needed above all, people in whom 
the glory of His spirit and the peculiarity of His work 
might be distinctly identified ; — laymen, who would not 
chain His work to existing priestly habits; unlearned 
men, who would not mix up His wisdom with traditional 
schemes of philosophy ; yes, even comparatively unedu- 
cated men, at any rate, homely men, in order that the 
dulled taste of a diseased worldly civilization might not 
disturb the culture which the spirit of the incarnate 
Word was to impart to them. It was through fishermen, 
country people and publicans, that the word of God in 



280 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

the life and doings of Christ was to be declared in its 
purity." # 

The apostles were therefore selected from the better 
class of the Galilean peasantry, among whom the simple, 
intense faith of the age of the Maccabees seems to have 
withstood both the traditional formalism of the Pharisees, 
and the insidious poison of the Greek culture. As belong- 
ing, however, to a commercial community, they were of a 
freer and more liberal spirit than the Jews of southern 
Palestine. There is reason also to believe that they were 
of respectable social standing, and by no means abso- 
lutely illiterate. Some of them were in comfortable cir- 
cumstances, the owners of fishing-boats and houses ; and 
others were engaged in civil employment which implied 
a tolerable education. They were probably good speci- 
mens of their class, and withal, possessed of a natural ap- 
titude for the work to which they were now called. 

The first who was summoned by the voice of the Master 
was Simon the son of Jonas, a fisherman of Bethsaida, 
not far from Capernaum at the northern extremity of the 
lake. Of an affectionate, impetuous nature, his manner 
of life, though not incompatible with considerable mental 
culture, had tended to make him somewhat rough in tem- 
per, abrupt and bluff in speech and manners, and daring 
even to recklessness, when pursuing his avocation on the 
waters of that fickle and dangerous inland sea. Though 
there is no reason to charge him with any disreputable 
crimes, we infer from one or two passages in his later his- 
tory that he was, in his youth, addicted to the thoroughly 
oriental vices of profanity and falsehood. There was in 
his character, however, a strong substratum of truth. His 
religious susceptibility was quick and profound : his spirit- 
ual discernment was extraordinary; and he was capable 

*Lange's "Life of Christ," vol. iii., page 45. 



CALLING OF THE APOSTLES. 281 

of a faith, which no external opposition and no vacillation 
of his own somewhat unsteady temperament could shake ; 
a frenzied impulse of natural fear might lead him to dis- 
guise or even deny his inward convictions; but they 
never failed speedily to reassert their authority and de- 
mand a free and bold expression, even in the face of 
blood-thirsty enemies and at the risk of martyrdom. This 
rock-like faith was set forth in the name which was given 
him by Jesus Himself, — Peter or Cephas. He was capa- 
ble of the most tender attachments ; and all the love of 
his generous heart had been concentrated on Jesus, whom 
he, first of all the disciples, confessed as the Christ, the 
Son of the living God. 

The story of his conversion has been already told, and 
discloses those peculiar characteristics which qualified him 
for a certain leadership in the primitive church. Peter, 
though afterwards chastened by trial, and softened and 
subdued by the meek and lowly Spirit of Christ, could 
hold no second place among the apostles. If, as tradition 
asserts, he was an aged man when he suffered martyrdom, 
A. D. 64, — he must have been several years older than 
our Lord. This circumstance would, of itself, make him 
somewhat prominent among his colleagues, the most of 
whom were undoubtedly somewhat younger. 

" Peter stood before Christ as the foreman of his band ; 
an eagle mind, fitted by its depth and ardor strongly 
and clearly to feel the whole character of Christ, and to 
receive it into its own depths ; — a popular spirit in the 
noblest sense, who could work on the people with the 
most effective arguments, and deeply penetrate into the 
world; an heroic, fiery, energetic man, who was ever 
ready to strike at the decisive moment, and regardless 
of consequences to send forth his blows, first in a fleshly 
and afterwards in a spiritual manner ; in his large elastic 
sympathy now constituted a pioneer, and now a medi- 



282 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

ator; — in the firm, rock-like solidity of his inmost charac- 
ter, the first leader, founder, and guide of the Church of 
Christ." * 

After Peter, Andrew his brother, was called up by 
Jesus. Andrew had been a disciple of the Baptist, and 
was one of the two who followed Jesus when John pointed 
Him out at Bethabara as the "Lamb of God." From this 
he would seem to have been the very first who believed. 
He evinced something of his character as an active be- 
liever, in immediately seeking out his brother Simon, and 
saying to him : " We have found the Messiah." It would 
appear from this incident, and from his subsequent ser- 
vices in introducing strangers to Jesus, that he stood in 
somewhat peculiar and intimate relations to our Lord. 
Thus the Greeks! who desired to see Jesus, first made 
their wish known to Philip. " Philip cometh and telleth 
Andrew, and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus." An- 
drew, too, was among the four favored apostles who came 
to our Lord after His prophecy concerning the destruction 
of Jerusalem, and requested the explanation which is so 
fully recorded by Matthew, t We infer from all this that 
Andrew was more than most of his fellow-apostles in the 
confidence of Jesus. 

Though the notices given of Andrew in the gospel, are 
few and scattered, they disclose a most interesting, though 
not striking character. He seems to have been of a mod- 
est, retiring spirit, shrinking from every semblance of 
public exhibition, yet so full of gentleness and humility, 
so full of faith and love, so devoted in his attachment to 
his Master, and so zealous and prudent in his efforts to 
bring others to His knowledge and acquaintance, that he 

* " Lange's Life of Christ," vol. 3, page 47. 
f See John xii. 20. 
t See Matthew xxiv. 






CALLING OF THE APOSTLES. 283 

was not only admitted more freely and fully to our Lord's 
confidence than the majority of the disciples, but was re- 
garded by Him as well calculated to check and chasten 
the headlong zeal of his brother Simon, and eminently 
fitted for the more private labors of the ministry to which 
he was called. 

After the sons of Jonas come the sons of Zebedee, 
James and John. They probably resided at or near Ca- 
pernaum, and as they were the owners of their ships and 
nets, and had servants in their employ, they would seem 
to have been in comfortable circumstances for men of their 
class. Their mother, who was probably a sister of the 
mother of Jesus,* was evidently a woman not only of 
great energy of character, but of large faith and ardent 
devotion — characteristics which were impressed on her 
sons, who were surnamed by their contemporaries, Boa- 
nerges, or sons of thunder. 

James was, without doubt, a man of ardent tempera- 
ment and extraordinary energy. He had from the first 
a chief place among the apostles, and ultimately attained 
a position of great authority in the church at Jerusalem. 
His devotion, promptitude and vigor in that position, soon 
drew upon him the attention of Herod Agrippa, who, evi- 
dently regarding him as the most conspicuous leader of 
the church, thought to strike it a decisive blow by sum- 
marily putting him to the sword. James fell, the first of 
the apostolic martyrs. 

John, the younger brother of James, was probably the 
most youthful of the apostles. As he survived till the 
reign of Trajan, he could hardly have been born before 
the year 4 B. C. ; he was probably born several years 
later, and so was the junior of our Lord. His extreme 

*This point, although not settled, has many plausible arguments in its 
favor. See Smith's " Bible Dictionary," article " Salome." 



284 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

youth at the time of his call appears to have kept him 
somewhat in the background ; for he was at first less 
prominent and influential in the church than his brother 
James. In addition to this it may be reasonably con- 
jectured that he was not largely gifted with oral elo- 
quence, and still less with executive ability and the gift 
of rule. Unlike James, who, endowed with an organizing 
mind and a decisive energy, was eminently an apostle for 
his own times, John was the apostle for later ages. 

In his youth, he was distinguished not so much for 
active, public labors as for his singular purity, the sweet- 
ness of his disposition, and the depth of his faith and 
spiritual insight;- — traits which won him a profound 
and tender reverence. In his natural temperament and 
qualities of mind and heart, he closely resembled Jesus, 
and for that reason he became " that disciple whom Jesus 
loved." The relation between Jesus and John was one of 
intimate, confiding friendship* Leaning on the bosom 
of the Saviour, he drank in more of His spirit than any 
other disciple. The most important part of John's apos- 
tolic work was reserved for his old age, when his colleagues 
had all been gathered to their rest. Then it was that he 
appeared as the inspired mediator between the different 
schools, calling themselves by the names of Paul and Peter 
and James, which had sprung up in the church. In his 
grand catholicity of doctrine, the seeming discrepancies 
in the teachings of the elder apostles were harmonized, 
and appeared as essential parts of one comprehensive 
system. In the directness and terrible energy of his de- 
nunciation when dealing with error, he fully vindicates his 
right to be called a " son of thunder." Next to his Mas- 
ter, John was the great prophet and theologian of the 

* See Robert Hall's inimitable sermon on the words : " That disciple whom 
Jesus loved." 



CALLING OF THE APOSTLES. 285 

New Covenant: he was pre-eminently ordained as the 
apostle for the church of the a last days." 

Of Philip, the next in the list, but little is known. He 
also was of Bethsaida, and a friend of Peter and Andrew, 
probably also of the sons of Zebedee. Early called to 
follow Jesus, he began at once to invite others to " come 
and see " the Saviour whom he had found. * In every 
situation in which he comes before us, he always displays 
a quick and vigorous mind, joined with the tendency to as- 
sure himself, as much as possible, of the invisible through 
concrete evidence and sensuous experience." # "Show 
us the Father," was a request which manifested an ex- 
treme and even morbid craving for outward, matter-of- 
fact demonstration. 

The next in order who was called to the apostleship 
was Baetholomew, evidently a surname, signifying the 
son of Tholmai, just as Simon Peter was called Bar-jona, 
the son of Jonah. As the gospel of John never mentions 
the name of Bartholomew, but often speaks of Nathaniel 
as familiarly associated with the apostles ; and as again the 
other gospels do not mention Nathaniel at all, it is almost 
certain that the names belonged to one and the same 
person — Nathaniel Bartholomew. The character of this 
apostle was summed up by Christ Himself in the remark- 
able words, "Behold an Israelite indeed in whom is no 
guile." 

The character of Thomas, surnamed Didymus or the 
Twin, is clearly drawn with a few bold strokes. Devot- 
edly attached to Jesus, and willing even to die with Him, 
he has nevertheless been well called the skeptical apostle. 
His steadfast refusal to believe in the resurrection of Christ 
till he had had ocular and even tactual evidence of the 
fact, displays a spirit of doubt more nearly allied to the 

* Lange's " Life of Christ," vol. 3, page 50. 



286 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

nineteenth century than the first. His doubting, how- 
ever, was not the fruit of a frivolous, but of a melancholy 
turn of mind, — that doubting of the struggling soul which 
God guides to certainty. 

Matthew, who humbly calls himself the publican, is 
portrayed in his own gospel. He was especially chosen 
that he might record the teachings of Jesus. We can 
not doubt that he made copious memoranda, from day to 
day, of the wondrous sayings which fell from the Saviour's 
lips. 

We assume, without argument, that James the son of 
Alpheus, sometimes called James the less, is identical 
with that James who was called the brother of the Lord. 
Though the point is still vigorously controverted, the 
current of opinion among scholars can not be mistaken, 
and is daily becoming deeper and stronger. In the Acts 
of the Apostles, and in his epistle, he appears as a calm, 
wise, conciliatory ruler of the church, seeking earnestly 
both purity and peace, and devoted rather to practical 
Christianity than to the defense of dogma, leaning even, 
one would say, towards a certain evangelical legalism put 
forth to modify and complement the teachings of Paul 
touching faith and works. That he himself, residing as 
he did at Jerusalem, strictly kept the law of Moses, and 
was eminent even among the Jews themselves for his 
personal sanctity, is the testimony of early Christian 
tradition. 

The Apostle Jude, called Lebbeus in the first gospel and 
Thaddeus in the second, loved to call himself a the brother 
of James." He would appear to have been a man of 
most intense convictions and ardent zeal. Some passages 
in his epistle give him a strong resemblance to Peter. 

Simon Zelotes, also called the Canaanite, "had been 
a zealot, i. e., one who like Phinehas (Numbers xxv. 7,) 
interfered to put down offences and abuses, not only as 



CALLING OF THE APOSTLES. 287 

the prophets did by words, but also by deeds. The party 
of the zealots which afterwards, during the Jewish war, 
distracted Jerusalem, had not as yet been formed, but its 
germ was already in existence." * Simon it would seem 
had been of a fiery and intolerant spirit, but was now 
chastened and subdued by the teachings and life of his 
Master, to whose service he devoted all the energy of his 
burning soul. 

The last figure in this procession is that of Judas Iscar- 
iot, — a name that thrills the soul with horror, and pre- 
sents some of the most mysterious and painful problems 
with which the Christian is ever called to grapple. Where 
he was born, what his calling was before he became a dis- 
ciple, what his associations had been, what the motives 
were which prompted him to follow Jesus, — all is a mys- 
tery. One interpretation of his surname makes him a na- 
tive of Kerioth in the tribe of Judah ; another, of Kartha 
in Galilee; but these are mere conjectures, unsupported by 
more than the faintest shadow of probability. His charae 
ter is almost equally a puzzle to those who have made it 
a special study. By the majority of commentators and 
preachers, he has been represented as a vulgar world- 
ling, without any elevated views or profound convictions. 
Entrusted with the purse of the little society, and thus 
exposed to the temptation to appropriate a portion of the 
funds to his own use, he became a thief; and finding that 
Jesus began to treat him with distrust and to drop frequent 
hints of ominous and terrible meaning, he finally resolved, 
influenced partly by fear and partly by revenge, to betray 
his Master into the hands of his enemies. 

Another theory, elaborated by De Quincy with great 
rhetorical beauty, makes Judas a man of deep and subtle 
policy, who, believing in Jesus as a secular and Jewish 

* De Wette zei Matthew, page 79. 



288 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

Messiah, and coming in time to distrust His practical en- 
ergy and decision, aimed to precipitate a crisis by which 
Jesus would be compelled to proclaim His character as 
the Son of David, exert His supernatural powers in self- 
defence, and rally the people to His standard. The great 
objection to this ingenious theory is its ingenuity. It 
seems scarcely reasonable to ascribe to a Jewish peasant 
of that age so subtle a policy, a scheme so intricate and 
far-reaching. 

Perhaps each view contains an element of truth. Judas 
was doubtless avaricious and fell into the sin of embezzle- 
ment ; but he was not at first a vulgar thief. He believed 
that Jesus was the Messiah, and that He would speedily 
set up a worldly kingdom in which he hoped to fill the 
office of treasurer. But in process of time it became ap- 
parent that Jesus meditated no such revolution as he was 
looking for ; and consequently his belief in His Messiah- 
ship was shaken. Perhaps the thought occurred to him 
that Jesus might extricate Himself from the plots of His 
blood-thirsty enemies by miracle ; and in that case no 
harm would be done by his treason — perhaps even great 
good might result from it. Thus his motives from the 
very first were probably mixed. When he first came to 
Jesus he was not without germs of good ; but he was ut- 
terly corrupted by avarice, the master passion of his soul. 

How Jesus, knowing as He did, even from the first, that 
Judas was a devil, could choose him for one of His apos- 
tles, has been regarded as a difficult and painful problem. 
But it is a special form of that great problem which we 
encounter whenever we think of the Divine purposes in 
relation to the sins of men. We can only say that, while 
the wickedness of Judas was exclusively his own, it is also 
true that his wickedness was, not prompted, but overruled, 
by the will of God for the accomplishment of His purpose 
in sending into the world His only begotten Son. The 






CALLING OF THE APOSTLES. 289 

unspeakable crime of Judas hastened the great sacrifice 
by which the reconciliation between God and man was 
consummated. 

Thus, then, Jesus has called around Him on the mount- 
ain summit, His twelve apostles. The very number is 
significant ; for it corresponds to the tribal division of the 
theocratic people ; and it signifies, as a mystic, symbolical 
number, completeness and perfection. On this founda- 
tion of the apostles, Jesus intended to rear the august 
superstructure of His church. They were, however, to 
be trained for their great work under His own eye ; and 
they were to be taught, first of all, the grand funda- 
mental laws of the new and glorious kingdom of God. 



19 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

THE CALLING OF THE APOSTLES AN IMPORTANT EPOCH — NECESSITY DE- 
TERMINING OUR LORD'S CHOICE OF MODES OF TEACHING HIS TEACH- 
ING BY HIS ACTS — TEACHING BY DIALOGUE — TEACHING BY MAXIMS — 
TEACHING BY PARABLES THE CREATED UNIVERSE A SYSTEM OF DI- 
VINE SYMBOLS — THE KEY TO THESE SYMBOLS LOST BY MAN AT THE 
FALL — JESUS THE DIVINE EXPOUNDER OF THESE SYMBOLS — HIS CHOICE 
OF PARABLES AS A MEANS OF INSTRUCTION AN EVIDENCE OF HIS 
WISDOM — THE WONDERFUL POWER OF HIS PARABLES AS A MEANS OF 
UNFOLDING TRUTH — THE BREADTH AND FULNESS OF THESE PARABLES 
NOT YET CONCEIVED OR UNFOLDED — WHY THE NEW TESTAMENT RE- 
PORT OF OUR LORD'S TEACHINGS IS NOT MORE COMPLETE — CLOSING 
REMARKS. 

? 

The calling of the twelve apostles was an important 
epoch in our Lord's ministry. For the first time He was 
to employ chosen ministers to preach the glad tidings. 
Their commission was indeed limited to a special work 
and to a brief period, but it was truly apostolic. They 
were to teach and work miracles in the name of Christ ; 
but they were to avoid Gentiles and Samaritans, doubt- 
less because as yet they were not qualified to instruct 
those who were utterly ignorant of the first principles of 
revealed religion, and not animated with the hope of the 
Messianic kingdom. Their mission therefore was restricted 
to the covenant people. But the proper prosecution of 
this work was no easy thing, and required no ordinary 
preparation. Preaching the gospel, even to the Jews, had 
become a delicate and dangerous thing. The Pharisees 



THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 291 

and the scribes had broken with Jesus ; they had begun to 
denounce Him as an enemy of the law and a blasphemer ; 
they had filled the land with false and exaggerated re- 
ports of His teachings ; and had already, with the Hero- 
dians, plotted His destruction. Yet these haughty and 
able foes the disciples would be sure to encounter ; they 
would have to meet their subtile cavilings ; they would at 
least be compelled to proclaim, under their searching and 
jealous scrutiny, the first principles of the new religion. 

For the undertaking of this difficult mission the apos- 
tles were imperfectly prepared. They had, as yet, crude 
and inadequate views of the kingdom of God, and were 
in other respects but poorly furnished. They were, how- 
ever, possessed of some advantages which only needed to 
be supplemented by the special instructions of their di- 
vine Master, to fit them in an eminent degree for their 
great work. They were of a hardy and vigorous stock ; 
they were themselves from among the masses, and hence, 
more in contact and sympathy with them, — a fact sug- 
gestive to the rulers of the church in every age ; — and 
they were empowered to do many mighty works which 
their adversaries would neither be able to gainsay nor 
resist. It was, however, no part of our Lord's plan to rely 
upon undisciplined talent or zeal. His chosen apostles 
must be instructed in the grand fundamental principles 
of the religion they were to profess and propagate. This 
body of instruction is contained chiefly in what is called 
the "Sermon on the Mount," — a discourse worthy of 
special consideration. It is proper, however, before en- 
tering upon that work, that we should give some prelimi- 
nary attention to our Lord's modes of teaching. 

Jesus, the Word made flesh, was the Light of the world. 
As the mediator between God and man, He bridged over 
the chasm between the Infinite Intelligence and human 
thought. It was His office to bring down absolute truth 



292 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

to the apprehension of finite minds. And it was not alone 
the weakness and limitation of the hnman faculties which 
made this difficult, but the prejudices engendered by self- 
ishness and sin. Man's blindness to Divine things was 
moral in its nature and origin ; his ignorance was wilful 
and malignant. Hence when Jesus came among men, 
He could only penetrate their dark minds by accommo- 
dating the mode of His teaching to their mental and 
moral condition. This necessity determined the several 
forms of His teaching, and also accounts for that marked 
reserve in His utterances which has often been observed. 

Of the four modes of teaching noticeable in Jesus as 
the world-prophet, perhaps the most impressive was His 
conveying instruction by means of His acts, especially 
His miracles. In every thing which Jesus did, He re- 
vealed the Father; He manifested His own divinity as 
the only begotten Son of God ; He displayed the divine 
compassion and power as opposed to the moral corruption 
and ruin of man ; and He set in view of the world a per- 
fect example of virtue and goodness. All the miracles 
of Christ demonstrated some truth and brought it vividly 
home to the hearts of men. This is overlooked by those 
who assert that the words of Jesus contain all that is of 
permanent spiritual value to mankind. The words and 
ivorks belong equally to His prophetic function; taken 
together, they contain the perfect self-revelation of Him 
who said, " I am the truth." 

Again: our Lord in His intercourse with individuals 
often taught by dialogue. No other method is so effectual 
to convince men of their ignorance and error, to awaken 
in them a spirit of inquiry, to remove their doubts and 
difficulties, and to lead them up to higher and yet higher 
attainments. This accordingly was the mode adopted 
by the wisest of uninspired teachers, Socrates. Jesus 
was almost always surrounded by disciples and friends, — 



THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 293 

not seldom by cavilers and enemies. To strengthen the 
former and silence the latter, He often proceeded in the 
way of question and answer — of free conversation. Many 
of His most pregnant sayings were uttered in this way. 

In the third place, our Lord often taught, — especially 
when surrounded by hearers who were peculiarly suscep- 
tible and docile, — in maxims or apothegms, which pre- 
sented great truths in sharp, compact, and luminous forms 
that were often highly symbolical, and were fitted to take 
at once a strong hold on the imagination, memory, and 
conscience. 

Lastly, many of our Lord's discourses were purely di- 
dactic, conveying in consecutive form, and with singular 
directness, those great truths which could be apprehended 
only by those who were already enlightened and pene- 
trated with His Spirit. Such was the Sermon on the 
Mount, and such His valedictory discourse as recorded 
by John. In these, however, and in others of the same 
class, there is a large intermixture of apothegm and para- 
ble ; for the highest spiritual truth finds its most complete 
and effective expression in symbol. 

As the most striking and distinctive feature of the teach- 
ings of Jesus, the parable is justly deserving of especial 
attention. Wise men and seers have always regarded this 
outward, natural world as a sublime system of symbols, by 
which spiritual things are set forth to those who have eyes 
to see. God has represented His thoughts in the works of 
His hand ; His eternal ideas are realized and bodied forth 
in the creation. The world with its innumerable forms 
of existence, corresponds to an ideal pattern in the con- 
sciousness of the Eternal Intelligence, — the Divine Word 
by whom all things were made. 

This revelation of the divine in natural symbols was 
doubtless legible to unfallen man. But in the fall the 
key to this knowledge was lost, and ever since, only in- 



294 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

spired men, seers, have been able to read and interpret 
the mystic hand-writing of Jehovah. But when the 
Eternal Word was Himself made flesh He had insight to 
see and wisdom to expound those " heavenly things," 
which He had wrapped up in natural symbols. To His 
eyes nothing was unmeaning, nothing undivine ; for the 
material world appeared to Him as an effluence from the 
spiritual, as indeed its living vesture and manifestation. 
Hence He opened His mouth in parables, employing the 
objects, scenes and processes of the natural world to rep- 
resent those spiritual realities which could not be made so 
intelligible, fresh, and quickening in an abstract didactic 
form. 

During this period of His ministry, our Lord was sur- 
rounded by eager, excited crowds of Galilean peasants, 
totally unaccustomed to abstract speculation; but if they 
had been ever so highly cultivated He would probably 
have spoken to them in parables; there is no other method 
of religious teaching so fresh and attractive even to the 
learned. Presenting truth in the concrete, under im- 
agery that rather suggests than fully expresses the les- 
sons intended to be conveyed, it at once stimulates curios- 
ity, strikes the imagination, convinces the judgment and 
touches the heart. The parables of Jesus are marvellous 
for their power of opening glimpses and vistas into regions 
of thought which logic cannot explore, and which human 
language is powerless to describe or define. Every para- 
ble is full of seed-thoughts which have a " springing and 
germinant power," immortal and inexhaustible. To them 
may be especially applied the profound words of Neander 
concerning the teachings of Christ in general: "Jesus 
would not have been the Son of God and the Son of Man, 
had not His words like His works, with all their adaptr 
ations to the circumstances of the times, contained some 
things that are inexplicable — had they not borne within 



THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 295 

them the germs of an infinite development, reserved for 
future ages to unfold. It is this feature, — and all the evan- 
gelists concur in their representations of it, — which distin- 
guishes Christ from all other teachers of men. Advance 
as they may, they can never reach Him; their only task 
need be, by taking Him more and more into their life and 
thought, to learn better how to bring forth the treasures 
that lie concealed in Him? * 

During the last eighteen hundred years there has been 
a grand evolution in the interpretation of Christ's words, 
corresponding to the progress of reason and science in 
the church. But it is in this day more than ever mani- 
fest that those words contain abysses of truth, which no 
exegetical plummet has ever sounded ; oceans which the 
most daring and eagle-eyed explorer has never surveyed. 
The latent truth enveloped in many a maxim, many a 
discourse, many a parable, will flash out in living light on 
the Christian consciousness of the ages to come. The 
breadth and glory of the sayings of Jesus will only be 
known by the illuminated millennial church. 

The evangelists have left us only fragmentary and in- 
complete reports of our Lord's teachings. It strikes some 
as unaccountable that Jesus Himself did not commit His 
words to writing, that the truth He taught might be trans- 
mitted in integrity and perfection of form as well as of 
substance, to the generations following. Doubtless this 
was possible ; and the fact that it was not done is of itself 
a sufficient proof that it was not, on the whole, the best 
and wisest thing to do. " The truth of God was not to be 
presented in a fixed and absolute form, but in peculiar 
and manifold representations, designed to complete each 
other; and while bearing the stamp at once of God's in- 
spiration and man's imperfection, were to be developed 

' *Neander's " Life of Christ," page 102. 



296 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

by the activity of free minds, in free and lively appro- 
priation of what God had given by His Spirit." * 

As it entered thus into the plan of Christ, that a few 
faithful, confidential disciples should be trained for the 
office of witnessing to the great facts of His life and min- 
istry, and of reporting the substance of His divine say- 
ings, the designation and training of the apostles must 
necessarily occupy a conspicuous place in this history. 

*Neander's " Life of Christ," page 100. 






CHAPTER IX. 
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 

THE EVANGELISTS RECORD BUT FEW OF OUR LORD'S EXTENDED DIS- 
COURSES THE " SERMON ON THE MOUNT," ITS GENERAL CHARACTER 

AND DESIGN — ITS RELATION TO THE NEW COVENANT COMPARED WITH 
THAT OF THE "TEN COMMANDMENTS" TO THE OLD — CONTRAST IN 
THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THEIR COMMUNICATION AND GENERAL NA- 
TURE — THE "BEATITUDES" THE POOR IN SPIRIT — THE PENITENT — 

THE MEEK — THOSE LONGING FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS THE MERCIFUL — THE 

PURE IN HEART — THE PEACEFUL THE PERSECUTED THE OPPOSITION 

OF ALL THIS TO PHARISAISM — THE POWER OF THESE ELEMENTS IN 
CHRISTIAN CHARACTER — CHRISTIANS AS THE "SALT OF THE EARTH" — 
CHRISTIANS AS THE "LIGHT OF THE WORLD." 

It is a significant fact, that the evangelists have given us 
but two or three of our Lord's more extended discourses. 
Indeed, it is doubtful whether He ever delivered more. 
Doubtless the divine wisdom which was in Him saw from 
the beginning, that for the propagation of Christianity 
among the people, the more private, personal and direct 
modes of instruction were the most fit and forcible. Of 
these discourses, the most remarkable is the one in which 
He gave His first full and definite instructions to His apos- 
tles. This discourse, recorded by Matthew, and called 
the "Sermon on the Mount," was exclusively addressed 
to them, and probably in the close seclusion of His retire- 
ment to the mountain top, whither He had gone to escape 
the pressure of the multitude. It bears a confidential 
and esoteric character, quite unlike those He addressed 
to the people in general. It was designed to set forth 



298 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

the fundamental principles of the new covenant for the 
guidance and use of the apostolic college. As such it 
claims a special and somewhat extended notice. 

The Sermon on the Mount is related to the new cove- 
nant, somewhat as the law delivered by the disposition of 
angels from Sinai was related to the old. It was intended 
clearly to disclose the nature and fundamental principles 
of that new spiritual kingdom which Jesus came to set up, 
just as the Ten Commandments revealed the spirit and 
scope of the theocracy as founded and administered by 
Moses. The circumstances attending the delivery of these 
two grand summaries of truth, strikingly represented the 
difference or rather the contrast between them. Both 
were uttered in a " voice of words " from the summits 
of lofty mountains, to signify their divine and heavenly 
origin and their spiritual nature. The law of Sinai, how- 
ever, was spoken from the midst of thick darkness and 
consuming flames, amidst thunderings and the noise of 
the trumpet waxing louder and louder, while the mount- 
ain trembled and shook. The Sermon on the Mount 



was spoken by the voice of a Youth, sitting in serene 
stillness and gentle majesty on a green eminence, in the 
light of a fair Galilean morning sky, surrounded with 
simple-hearted and joyous Galilean peasants, conscious of 
the fresh, divine glory which was breaking over the world. 
The former law was uttered in a voice of stern com- 
mand, threatening death to the transgressor; the new 
law, though voiced with an authority all divine, breathed 
love and gentleness and peace. The former was written 
by the ringer of God on tables of stone ; the latter, was 
written, not less by the finger of God, on the hearts of 
those who heard it. The former was a law, accommoda- 
ted in its form to the intellectual and moral condition of 
a childish, though not childlike people ; the latter is abso- 
lute and final, setting forth the essential spiritual and 






THE SERMON" ON THE MOUNT. 299 

ethical principles which must regulate human society in 
its perfect state. The former proclaims the conditions of 
citizenship under a theocracy which threatened every act 
of transgression and disobedience with death ; the latter 
describes that spiritual righteousness, which, notwithstand- 
ing its moral and legal imperfection, constitutes one a 
subject and heir of the kingdom of heaven. 

When Jesus was seated He "opened His mouth," with 
such solemnity as was fitting the moment when He was 
about to loose the seal of this new "book of the law." 
His heart was full of divine beatitudes; and therefore 
His first word was " blessed," — a word which may well 
be regarded as the symbol and key of the whole gospel : 

"Blessed are the poor in spirit ; for theirs is the king- 
dom of heaven. 

"Blessed are they that mourn ; for they shall be comforted. 

"Blessed are the meek ; for they shall inherit the earth. 

"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after right- 
eousness ; for they shall be filled. 

"Blessed are the merciful ; for they shall obtain mercy. 

"Blessed are the pure in heart ; for they shall see God. 

u Blessed are the peace-makers ; for they shall be called 
the children of God. 

"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness 
sake ; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

"Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute 
you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely 
for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad ; for great is 
your reward in heaven ; for so persecuted they the prophets 
which were before you?* 

Happy are' those who feel their spiritual poverty and 
wretchedness ; who have found no satisfaction in earthly 

* Matthew v. 3-12. 






300 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

possessions, and have not stifled the higher aspirations of 
their souls by earthly delights ; who do not trust in their 
Abrahamic blood, and are not inflated with the pride of 
Pharisaic wisdom and righteousness; but are profoundly 
conscious of their spiritual wants and their utter misery * 

Happy too are all true mourners ; — all who are con- 
scious of their inward woe; all who are of broken and 
contrite heart by reason of sin, penetrated with holy 
grief, burdened and sorrowful in spirit because they have 
done evil in the sight of God, and because they are evil 
in their very nature.! All such mourners shall be com-, 
forted, though their sins be like scarlet, though they be 
red like crimson.^ 

Happy are the meek, the gentle-spirited and lowly in 
heart; for they, though averse to power and dominion, 
shall gain possession of the earth and reign as kings 
upon it. " The inheritance of the earth is that world-do- 
minion which Christians as organs of the spirit of Christ 
are ever more and more to obtain, as the kingdom of God 
shall win increasing sway over mankind and the relations 
of society, until, in its final consummation, the whole earth 
shall own its dominion; and the power which is to gain 
this world-dominion, is meekness. The quiet might of 
gentleness it is with which God's kingdom is to subjugate 
the world." § Milton has happily hit the sense of this 
beatitude in the phrase applied to martyrs, a unresistible 
might of weakness." || 

Happy, continues our Lord, are all who are hungry and 
thirsty, — powerful epithets to describe that intense desire 
for true righteousness, for the bread and water of spiritual 

* See Neander's " Life of Christ," page 225. 

t Psalms li. 34. 

$ Isaiah i. 18. 

§ Neander's " Life of Christ," pages 225, 226. 

|| See Tract on "Reformation." 



THE SEKM0N ON THE MOUNT. 301 

life, which are only given, which can only be given, to 
those who long for them. They shall be satisfied. 

Happy are those who are full of pity towards their 
sinful and suffering brethren, forgiving their trespasses, 
relieving their wants, soothing their sorrows 3 yea, happy 
are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. 

Happy are the pure in heart. This implies an entrance 
into the kingdom of God already effected ; righteousness 
already gained, spiritual comfort and satisfaction already 
enjoyed. Those who are in the kingdom Christ describes 
as "pure in heart," not however according to a legal stand- 
ard, but according to a new criterion, by which the peni- 
tent and believing are adjudged and accounted morally 
spotless. The pure-hearted, — the regenerate, — shall see 
God; they shall have an intuitive knowledge of the di- 
vine nature, shall discern more and more the beauty of 
His holiness ; shall enter into perfect communion with 
Him; shall enjoy the bliss of His living and eternal 
presence. 

Happy are those who, thus reconciled to God, filled with 
His peace, and inspired with love and meekness, seek to 
live in concord with all men and to promote peace on the 
earth ; they shall be called the children of God. All men 
will recognize in them a likeness to their Father in heaven, 
who maketh His sun to shine on the evil and on the good, 
and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. They are 
not, however, to dream that their outward lot on earth will 
be uniformly peaceful ; for as belonging to a kingdom not 
of this world, a kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy 
in the Holy Ghost, they will inevitably come in collision 
with worldly men and worldly kingdoms ; and hence they 
must expect persecutions. Nevertheless they are still to 
account themselves blessed. 

Happy are they who are persecuted for righteousness' 
sake ; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Happy. 



302 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

though derided and slandered, and pursued with impla- 
cable malice ; for even on earth the kingdom shall be 
theirs, and they shall have an exceeding reward in heaven. 

In these few strokes Jesus delineates the kingdom of 
heaven. How unlike the kingdoms of this world ! How 
unlike that kingdom which the Pharisees were expecting 
their Messiah to establish ! This poverty of spirit, this 
holy mourning, this meek humility, this longing for in- 
ward spiritual righteousness, this compassion towards the 
sinful and the needy, this purity of heart, this peaceful 
and peace-making spirit, this joy in persecution, and 
this hope of a heavenly reward, — all these were utterly 
foreign, utterly opposed to the Pharisaic spirit. 

And yet these elements of character, in the eyes of 
worldly sensuality, deceitfulness, pride, and ambition, 
so weak and contemptible, were to constitute the true 
strength of the Christian church; were to exert a trans- 
forming influence on mankind throughout the ages. Pos- 
sessed of these, Christians were to be the salt of the earth, 
the light of the world;* — the source of an influence which 
should at once counteract the moral corruption and illu- 
minate the darkness of the world. As it is characteristic 
of salt, when brought in contact with bodies which it is 
intended to preserve, to work secretly and silently till it 
has permeated the whole mass, and brought it all under 
its antiseptic influence ; so would the spirit of Jesus oper- 
ating through His disciples, as secretly and silently pene- 
trate the corrupt mass of human society, till every part 
should be reached and brought under its saving power. 
And as salt which has not lost its savor, thus brought into 
inward contact with all their parts, preserves from putre- 
faction bodies otherwise subject to speedy decay, — so the 
true disciples of Jesus should preserve humanity from the 

Matthew v. 13. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 303 

moral corruption to which it so naturally, we may say so 
inevitably tends ; for such is the downward drift of human 
nature, that, but for the elevating influence of the higher 
life of the church, it would steadily sink deeper and 
deeper, until finally swallowed up in an abyss of utter 
and hopeless ruin. 

Still further : possessed of these spiritual and divine 
elements of character, Christians are, both by their faith 
and works, the light of the world* As it is the very na- 
ture of light, if not impeded by other and grosser ele- 
ments than itself, to make its way directly and almost 
instantaneously everywhere, itself in its own clear and 
gladdening rays spontaneously revealed, and as spontane- 
ously revealing all things else, — so it is with a true disci- 
pleship — with "pure religion and undefiled" in the heart 
of the followers of Jesus. It needs no struggle to make 
itself or its character evident to the world; it only asks 
that it shall not be obstructed by gross or sensual ele- 
ments in the heart or life ; give it free course, and it will 
be glorified. And not this only, it will reveal so clearly 
the character of God, the great principles of His govern- 
ment, and the spirit of truth and life and love in Jesus, 
that the gross darkness which enshrouds the world will be 
more and more dispelled, until at length men will glorify 
their a Father in heaven." 

* Matthew v. 14-16. 



CHAPTEK X. 
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT CONCLUDED. 

THE RELATION OF THE NEW COVENANT TO THE OLD — ILLUSTRATIONS 
OF THE LAW AS PERFECTED IN THE GOSPEL — THE GOSPEL AS CON- 
TRASTED WITH PHARISAICAL PRACTICES — THE MODEL PRAYER — THE 
DISCIPLES WARNED AGAINST PHARISAICAL COVETOUSNESS — AGAINST 
PHARISAICAL CENSORIOUSNESS— THE " GOLDEN RULE" — THE DISCIPLES 
WARNED AGAINST FALSE TEACHERS — IMPLICIT AND HEARTY OBEDI- 
ENCE, AS OPPOSED TO EMPTY PROFESSION AND OUTWARD FORM, THE 
SUBSTANCE OF TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS — THE RENDERING OF THIS OBE- 
DIENCE TO JESUS AND HIS TEACHINGS ESSENTIAL TO SALVATION— THE 
SUBLIME FORCE OF OUR LORD'S CLOSING LANGUAGE. 

Haying thus in a general way set forth the fundamental 
principles of His kingdom, portrayed the character of His 
subjects, declared their blessedness, and described, under 
striking symbols, their great mission, Jesus proceeds # to 
show the relation of the new covenant of which He was 
the Mediator, to the old covenant. He was accused by 
the Pharisees of being hostile to the law. The time had 
come for Him to declare plainly that the former covenant 
was not destroyed but fulfilled ; was not done away, but 
transfigured, glorified and perpetuated in the gospel. The 
law in its spirit and intent, though not in its very let- 
ter, was incorporated, in a universal and absolute form, 
into the new law which Christ gave to His disciples, and 
through them to the world. 

Of this grand principle Jesus gives a number of strik- 
ing examples. The command, "Thou shalt not kill," is 

* Matthew v. 7-48. 



% THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 305 

carried to a loftier elevation, and made prohibitory, not 
only of injurious words but of angry feeling : the com- 
mand, * Thou shalt not commit adultery," is interpreted as 
forbidding all prurient thoughts and unchaste desires; — 
an extension, in each case, transparently just and neces- 
sary, since it were simply absurd to prohibit any sin, and 
yet give free rein to its necessary concomitants and incen- 
tives. So also the precept, " Thou shalt not forswear thy- 
self, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths," be- 
comes in the law of Christ an injunction to maintain a 
veracity so high and unswerving that oaths and vows will 
be quite superfluous and even criminal. The saying, "An 
eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," — a maxim which bound 
the Jewish courts to punish wrongs done by individuals 
at the suit of the individuals wronged, is not repealed by 
Christ; but He restrains His disciples from claiming the in- 
fliction of the legal penalties on those who injured them, 
requiring them rather to suffer patiently even violence 
and oppression. The great command, "Thou shalt love 
thy neighbor," — to which the Pharisees had added what 
seemed to them the natural complement, u thou shalt hate 
thine enemy," — is separated by Jesus from the devil's 
maxim thus married to the divine command, and is ex- 
plained as requiring love to strangers and even enemies. 
It is thus lifted above all the earthliness and night of selfish 
and revengeful human nature, like some sublime summit, 
rising above the mists and vapors into the rosy light of an 
unclouded sun. 

Our Lord, having thus set forth the distinction between 
the law and the gospel, and having demonstrated their 
essential unity, now proceeds to contrast true evangelical 
righteousness with the counterfeit righteousness of the 
Pharisees.*' This contrast was, in a word, " the contrast 



* Matthew vi. 1-18. 
20 



306 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. # 

between being and seeming."* The hypocrites did their 
alms to be seen of men ; Christians are not to let the left 
hand know what the right hand doeth. The Pharisees 
prayed with many vain though high-sounding repetitions, 
standing at the corners of the streets ; Christians are to 
pray in secret and in childlike simplicity. The same 
principle is applied to the kindred office of fasting, which 
should be a secret and spiritual humiliation rather than 
an ostentatious ceremony. As indicative of the spirit of 
both these exercises, and as an aid to their devotions, Jesus 
gives in this connection a pattern prayer, so comprehen- 
sive, so exactly suited to the wants of men in all ages and 
in all circumstances, that it has become the basis and sub- 
stance of all Christian worship. Nothing can be added 
to it or taken from it. 

"Our Father which art in heaven : 
Hallowed be thy name. 
Thy kingdom come. 

Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 
Give us this day our daily bread. 
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; 
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, 
forever : A men? t 

Our Lord now addresses to His disciples an earnest ex- 
hortation against love of the world — against that covet- 
ous eagerness to lay up treasure on earth, which, notwith- 
standing the professional sanctity of the Pharisees, was a 
marked characteristic of the sect. Nothing could be 
more beautiful or impressive than the following words, 
spoken, as they were, to a company of Galilean peasants, 
whose poverty, one would think, might have justified the 

*Neander's " Life of Christ," page 235. t Matthew vi. 9-13. 






THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 307 

most provident care to supply themselves with food and 
raiment : 

" Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where 
moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break 
through and steal ; but lay up for yourselves treasures in 
heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and 
where thieves do not break through nor steal ; for where 
your treasure is there will your heart be also. 

" The light of the body is the eye ; if, therefore, thine 
eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light ; but 
if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of dark- 
ness. If, therefore, the light that is in thee be darkness, 
how great is that darkness ! 

" No man can serve two masters ; for either he will hate 
the one and love the other ; or else he will hold to the 
one and despise the other. Ye can not serve God and 
mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought 
for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink ; 
nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the 
life more than meat, and the body than raiment ? 

"Behold the fowls of the air : for they sow not, neither 
do they reap, nor gather into barns ; yet your Heavenly 
Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 
Which of you, by taking thought, can add one cubit unto 
his stature ? And why take ye thought for raiment ? 
Consider the lilies of the field how they grow ; they toil 
not, neither do they spin; and yet I say unto you that 
even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of 
these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, 
which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall 
He not much more clothe you, ye of little faith ? There- 
fore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat, or what 
shall we drink ? or wherewithal shall we be clothed ; (for 
after all these things do the Gentiles seek,) for your Heav- 
enly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things ; 



308 THE LIFE OF CHBIST. 

but seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things 
shall be added unto you. Take, therefore, no thought for 
the morrow ; for the morrow shall take thought for the 
things of itself; sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."* 

After this beautiful and consoling exhortation, Jesus 
warns the disciples against another characteristic sin of 
the Pharisees. While in their utter ignorance of them- 
selves, they were self-indulgent and self-complacent, they 
were ready to pass the most severe and uncharitable judg- 
ments on others. This was, however, foreign to the spirit 
of the new kingdom. "Judge not that ye be not judged ; 
for with what judgment ye judge ye shall be judged ; and 
with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you 
again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy 
brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine 
own eye • or how wilt thou say to thy brother ; Let me 
pull out the mote that is in thine eye ; and behold a beam 
is in thine own eye ? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the 
beam that is in thine own eye ; and then shalt thou see 
clearly to cast out the mote that is in thy brother's eye." t 

The same principle is touched upon in the great ethical 
maxim : — " Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that 
men should do unto you, do ye even so to them." J If you 
would be truly righteous, " Place yourselves in the con- 
dition of others, and act towards them as you would wish 
them in such a case to act towards you." § Do this, if you 
would exercise the like forbearance and mercy toward 
others, which in the petition — " Forgive us our trespasses 
as we forgive those who trespass against us," you desire 
your Father in heaven to exercise toward you. 

In concluding this impressive and pregnant discourse, 
our Lord, knowing that the disciples would be tempted 

* Matthew vi. 19-34. f Matthew vii. 1-5. 

t Matthew vii. 12. § Meander's "Life of Christ," p. 236. 









THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 309 

to regard an entrance into His kingdom as difficult, if 
not impossible, admonishes them that the blessings offered 
could be obtained on no easier terms. "Enter ye," says 
He, " into the straight gate ; for wide is the gate and 
broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many 
there be which go in thereat; because straight is the gate 
and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few 
there be that find it." # Knowing, further, the dangers to 
which His disciples, in seeking this straight gate, would be 
exposed from the seductions of false teachers, Jesus lays 
down a test by which the character of all such persons 
may be tried and its real nature be infallibly determined. 
" Ye shall know them by their fruits." t There is a neces- 
sary connection and harmony between the faith and the 
works, the heart and the life, which must sooner or later 
evince itself. It is as necessarily so as that the foliage 
and fruitage of the plant must determine its order and 
its worth. And this beyond any possibility of deceptive 
change or even effective concealment. The evil hearts of 
these false teachers would become manifest in their evil 
lives and the evil effects of their doctrine. Though they 
might come in sheep's clothing, they would not fail eventu- 
ally to betray their wolfish nature. 

Indeed, the disciples were to remember that, not even 
under the ceremonial dispensation did outward profession 
or conformity answer the ends sought, but only the inward 
conception of the thing signified, and hearty accordance 
with its spirit and law. Much more must this be true of 
a spiritual religion like that of Jesus. No outward pro- 
fession ; no form of worship, no appearance of sanctity ; 
not even the performance of mighty works, so apparently 
indicative of a divine presence and favor; — none of these 
would secure the salvation of those who did not yield a 

* Matthew vii. 13, 14. t Matthew vii. 16. 



310 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

true and hearty obedience to the revealed will of God. 
"Not every one," says our Lord, — "not every one that 
saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom 
of heaven ; but he that doeth the will of my Father which 
is in heaven. Many will say unto me in that day, Lord, 
Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name ? and in Thy 
name cast out devils, and in Thy name done many wonder- 
ful works ? And then will I profess unto them, I never 
knew you : depart from me, ye that work iniquity." * 

Having thus distinctly set forth spiritual obedience as 
essential to true holiness, our Lord proceeds, in a per- 
oration of the most striking character, to declare the 
absolute necessity to salvation of rendering this prompt 
and unquestioning obedience directly to Him and to His 
words, as henceforth the supreme law of all religious life. 
" Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and 
doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built 
his house upon a rock : And the rain descended, and the 
floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house ; 
and it fell not; for it was founded upon a rock. And every 
one that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them 
not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his 
house upon the sand; and the rain descended, and the 
floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, 
and it fell, and great was the fall of it." t 

Brief as is this passage, it is impossible to conceive of 
anything more terribly explicit and energetic. Standing 
forth in the full majesty and power of His divine authority 
as the new Prophet, Priest and King, our Lord seizes upon 
the terrors of a tropical tempest, and with all the fervor 
of an oriental imagination, presses them into the service 
of His oratory, — a transition which, compared with the 
previous unimpassioned didactic character of His dis- 

* Matthew vii. 21-23. f Matthew vii. 24-27. 



THE SEEMON ON THE MOUNT. 311 

course, must have startled if not appalled His hearers, 
like a burst of thunder from a cloudless sky. We can 
not but believe that it revealed to them the certain pres- 
ence of the Godhead in Jesus; and that it impressed 
upon them the awful conviction that under the new dis- 
pensation, so full of grace to the willing and obedient, 
to the unbelieving and rebellious, to those who should 
trample under foot the blood of the covenant and count 
it an unholy thing, there was not less near at hand than 
of old, a Sinai whose thunders were a voice of doom, and 
whose lightnings were " a consuming fire." 



CHAPTEK XI. 

THE SERMON ON THE PLAIN. 

JESUS DESCENDS TO THE PLAIN AND DELIVERS THE SERMON TO THE 
MULTITUDE — THE PERPLEXITY OF COMMENTATORS WITH REGARD TO 
THE TWO ACCOUNTS OF THE SERMON GIVEN BY MATTHEW AND LUKE — 
THE TRUE EXPLANATION OF THEIR APPARENT DISCREPANCIES — THE 
TWO EVANGELISTS CONSISTENT WITH EACH OTHER — DIFFERENCE BE- 
TWEEN THE TWO SERMONS AS TO THE "BEATITUDES" — OTHER DI- 
VERGENCIES — THESE, PROOFS THAT THE SECOND SERMON WAS DELIV- 
ERED TO THE MULTITUDE — CHRIST NOW ABOUT TO ENTER ON A NEW 
AND MORE IMPORTANT PHASE OF HIS MISSION. 

Having finished the Sermon on the Mount, our Lord 
descended to the plain or lower plateau of the mountain, 
where the multitude awaited His coming. Here, accord- 
ing to Luke, whose statements are of the most explicit 
character,* He addressed the substance of the discourse 
to the multitude, in a more popular style and with some 
important variations. Commentators, from Augustine 
down, have been much perplexed by these variations, in- 
volving as it has appeared to them, certain discrepancies 
between the accounts of Matthew and Luke. A plain, 
intelligent reader would, however, be puzzled to find any 
discrepancy. 

That Jesus should deliver the substance of the same 
discourse to different audiences on the same day, is alto- 
gether credible. To assume that He did not is to overlook 

* Luke vi. 17. 



THE SERMON ON THE PLAIN". 313 

the fact that He was presenting fundamental doctrine 
which must be communicated to all. As a Teacher of 
new ideas, especially as a Teacher of illiterate disciples 
and followers, almost constant repetition was necessary. 
It was thus only that His spiritual and sublime doctrines 
could be made clear to the understanding of His hearers, 
and be indelibly impressed on their memory. Doubtless, 
many of His most striking maxims and several of His 
parables were frequently repeated, and with such varia- 
tions as were suggested by the immediate circumstances. 
This hypothesis harmonizes a large number of the alleged 
discrepancies. 

In regard to the Sermon on the Mount, the words of 
the evangelists are so explicit that we can only wonder 
at the difficulty which so many learned writers have made 
rather than found in the inspired history. Matthew, 
always concise in the relation of facts, says that Jesus, 
seeing the multitude, went up into a mountain, and sitting 
there delivered the Sermon to the disciples. But He 
plainly intimates at the close that the same sayings were 
substantially repeated in the hearing of the people.* 
Luke speaks of His going up into the mountain, and there 
calling to Him His disciples ; but he omits the more ex- 
tended and esoteric discourse there delivered ; recording, 
however, the popular version of the same, spoken by our 
Lord while standing with His disciples and the multitude 
on the plain. Surely here is no discrepancy, — not even a 
difficulty. 

The second Sermon on the Mount differs from the first, 
in the omission of much that a promiscuous audience, in 
which were doubtless many Pharisees and cavilers, might 
have construed into an attack on the law, and in the 
amplification of certain passages of a more hortatory 

* Matthew vii. 28, 29. 



314 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

character. Thus we find nothing of the authoritative 
interpretation of the Mosaic precepts, which constitutes a 
principal feature of the earlier address. On the other 
hand, the Beatitudes, — which are much abridged, — are fol- 
lowed by a series of woes: "Woe unto you that are rich, 
for ye have received your consolation. Woe unto you 
that are full: for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that 
laugh now : for ye shall mourn and weep. Woe unto you 
when all men shall speak well of you : for so did their 
fathers to the false prophets." * Thus, too, the paragraphs 
relating to love to enemies, and to uncharitable judging, 
are beautifully expanded. It is significant also that our 
Lord says nothing to the multitude about prayer, and He 
does not give them that inimitable model which He had 
just before given to the disciples on the Mount. The 
truth is, the former were not yet prepared to come to God 
in a filial spirit. They knew not God as their Father; 
how could they then address Him as such ? 

These variations in the Sermon on the Plain furnish 
indubitable internal evidence of the truth of the hypothe- 
sis adopted. To this proof may be added its brevity. Ad- 
dressed to a restless multitude, more eager to witness His 
miracles and to be healed by His touch, than to hear His 
words and to be made wise unto salvation, this brevity is 
precisely what we should expect from the divine sagacity 
of Jesus, as adapting Himself to the circumstances of the 
case. 

Having thus completed our study of these two memo- 
rable discourses, we are prepared to enter with the sacred 
historians upon a new period in our Lord's ministry. He 
had now, in calling the apostles and giving to them these 
definite instructions, practically organized the new church, 
and put Himself before the world as the founder of a new 



*Luke vi. 24-26. 



THE SEKMON ON THE PLAIN. 315 

religion. He had thus joined a formal issue with the old 
order of things and with all the existing sects connected 
with it. We shall therefore look for greater activity and 
boldness in all His operations. The church militant must 
now evince its radical and aggressive character, although 
for the present more especially represented in its Head 
alone. 



PART VI. 



Our Lord's Larger Galilean 
Ministry. 



CHAPTER I. 

JESUS HEALS THE CENTUKION'S SERVANT. 

THE MULTITUDE AGAIN GATHER TO JESUS — HIS ZEAL AND ACTIVITY — 
THE CENTURION — HIS AFFLICTION — HE APPEALS TO JESUS — HIS MES- 
SAGE TO OUR LORD BY THE WAY — JESUS COMMENDS HIS FAITH — 
HIS FAITH CONTRASTED WITH THAT OF THE NOBLEMAN OF CANA. 

Having finished His discourse to the people, our Lord 
returns to Capernaum. Here the multitude, which ap- 
pears to have temporarily dispersed after returning from 
the mountain, again assembled about Him, and doubtless 
in greatly increased numbers. This would naturally re- 
sult from the interest excited by His recent discourse, 
and from the constantly widening fame of His wonderful 
works. Possibly also His choice of the apostles awakened 
an expectation that He was about to reveal Himself more 
openly and decisively as the Messiah. To the work of 
ministering to the wants of this multitude, both as it 
regarded teaching them and healing their sick, Jesus gave 
Himself with renewed devotion. Though they pressed 
upon Him, so that He had no time even to eat, # He neither 
faltered nor fell short under the excessive labors imposed 
upon Him. Indeed, His application to His work was so 
intense that His friends became alarmed for Him. To 
them it seemed little less than an inconsiderate, an almost 

* Mark iii. 20. 



320 THE LIFE OF CHPvIST. 

insane* zeal, which must speedily result in His complete 
prostration. 

This prodigious activity on the part of Jesus deserves 
special attention. It can not be doubted that, touched 
upon though it frequently is by the evangelists, we too 
often fail to form just ideas of His labors, and of the su- 
perhuman energy which He displayed. The consequence 
is, we see Jesus in His divine purity, gentleness and love ; 
but our eyes are holden so that we do not behold Him in 
His not less wonderful industry, endurance and power. 
What we need to do, is to take these brief flashes of nar- 
rative, and hold them, so to speak, steadily before our 
minds until these wonderful scenes come before us in 
clear and vivid reality. We must see the multitudes 
thronging the house, crowding the streets, — those near 
at hand jostling each other ; those more distant pressing 
closer and closer, or forcing their way through the living 
mass, in order to bring their sick into the presence of 
Jesus, — and all one hum of excitement and confusion. 
Amidst all this, we must see Jesus moving with unruf- 
fled serenity and confidence ; never halting yet never 
hurried; never violent yet never borne back; hushing 
all to quietness and yet repelling none ; speaking brief 
words of wisdom to every attentive listener; meeting 
every applicant for healing virtue with quick but quiet 
touch of saving power; dismissing those relieved with 
firm but gentle grace, in order to make room for others ; 
and so from morning till night, meeting all, satisfying all, 
amazing all, — all this we must see, in order to do justice 
to the prodigious, the superhuman executive capacity of 
Jesus. 

The first mighty work narrated of our Lord after Plis 
return was the following : — There was in Capernaum a 

♦Mark Hi 21. 



HEALING OF THE CENTURIONS SERVANT. 321 

Roman garrison. One of the officers of this garrison was 
a centurion, a man so upright, amiable and devout, that 
he was held in universal honor by both Jews and Gentiles. 
Though educated a pagan, he had by long residence among 
the Jews imbibed a deep love of the true religion, and 
had even at his own expense, built a synagogue for the 
worship of Jehovah. This man was just now in deep 
affliction. His favorite servant, who was rather a son 
than a servant to him, was sick of palsy, a disease in that 
hot climate often accompanied with tetanus or lock-jaw, 
and therefore much more painful than among us. The 
case was an urgent one ; for the sick man was evidently 
past all human help. 

Familiar with the teachings and the miracles of Jesus, 
whom he must have seen often, and entertaining for Him 
a feeling of the deepest veneration, it occurs to him, as 
he learns that Jesus is returning to the city, to apply to 
Him for help. " Why may I not ask Him to heal my ser- 
vant ? But, no : I am a Gentile sinner ; I am unworthy 
to approach Him." He reflects, however, that though he 
may not personally present his request, his Jewish friends 
may be willing to intercede for him, and they will doubtr 
less both have access to Jesus and influence with Him. 
He accordingly applies to them, and they willingly under- 
take his mission. As our Lord is entering the city, He is 
met by a deputation of elders, the friends of the cen- 
turion, who beg Him to come without delay and heal the 
sick servant. They press the petition on the ground of 
the centurion's personal worth : " He is worthy," say they, 
" for whom we ask it, for he loveth our nation, and hath 
built us a synagogue." * 

Jesus, although He needed no such arguments to awaken 
His interest in the case, immediately proceeded with the 



*Luke vii. 4, 5. 
21 



322 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

messengers towards the centurion's house. Before He 
reached it, however, He was met by some of the centu- 
rion's friends, who singularly enough, brought Him this 
message : " Lord, trouble not thyself, for I am not worthy 
that Thou shouldst enter under my roof; wherefore 
neither thought I myself worthy to come unto Thee ; but 
say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. For I 
also am a man set under authority, having under me sol- 
diers; and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to 
another, Come, and he coineth; and to my servant, Do 
this and he doeth it."* The centurion, smitten with a 
sudden sense of his unworthiness, and, perhaps, fearing 
the presence of so holy a being, appears to have reasoned 
thus : " What need is there of His coming here ? He can 
heal at a distance as well as at hand. I am under au- 
thority, yet my soldiers and servants obey me without 
hesitation. Jesus is supreme over all things ; diseases 
and even demons are subject to His will. It is only 
necessary for Him to issue His command and the disease 
will obey Him, and leave my servant." 

The message in its spirit of humility, in the strength 
of the faith it evinced, in the conception of the character 
of Jesus which it indicated, and in the cogency of its rea- 
soning, was remarkable. Jesus Himself marveled at it. 
Turning to those who followed Him, He said: "I have not 
found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto 
you that many shall come from the east and the west, and 
shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the 
kingdom of heaven, but the children of the kingdom shall 
be cast into outer darkness ; there shall be weeping and 
gnashing of teeth." t In other words ; In the kingdom 
consummated, — in its triumphant state, it is not sacred 
lineage nor ceremonial righteousness which will give ad- 

* Luke vii. 6-8. t Matthew viii. 10-12. 



HEALING OF THE CENTURION'S SERVANT. 323 

mission to the marriage supper of the Lamb, to fellowship 
with the general assembly and church of the first-born — 
it is faith. Hence, for their unbelief, God's once chosen 
people will find themselves cast out, while a multitude of 
those despised as Gentiles, will find full acceptance ; they 
will sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and be 
recognized as the true, holy seed. Among these, this 
humble centurion, mighty in faith, will be one of the 
greatest in the kingdom of God." 

It is interesting to notice the contrast between the faith 
of this centurion and that of the nobleman of Capernaum,* 
spoken of in a previous chapter. The former is an exam- 
ple of strong faith ; the latter of weak faith. The noble- 
man is importunate to have Jesus go down to his house ; 
the centurion is convinced that if Jesus will, even at a 
distance, speak the word, his servant will be healed. The 
Gentile is overwhelmed with a sense of his unworthi- 
ness, — he is not worthy to have Jesus come under his 
roof ; — the Jew has no such humility; he feels no such 
scruples. It is not strange, therefore, that Jesus rebuked 
the one, and commended the other. Looking at the faith 
of the centurion, and our Lord's approval of it, we shall 
have no question as to the result. The servant was healed 
in the self-same hour. We can hardly doubt also that 
both master and servant became disciples of Jesus. A 
faith like that of the centurion, so vigorous in its first 
growth, could not but ripen into full maturity and power. 
It is not in the nature of true faith to remain stationary 
and unfruitful. 

* See John iv. 46-54. 



CHAPTER II. 

THE RAISING OF THE WIDOW'S SON AT NAIN.* 

NAIN — FUNERAL OF THE WIDOW'S SON — JESUS RESTORES THE DEAD TO 
LIFE — NATURE OF THE MIRACLE — ITS SIGNIFICANCE. 

On the north-western slope of the u Little Hermon," are 
the ruins of a town still called by the natives of the region, 
Nain. Towards the west the ground descends abruptly 
to the fruitful plain of Esdraelon; and this beauty of 
situation is probably denoted by the name, which signifies, 
" The Lovely." The rocks near the entrance of the vil- 
lage are full of ancient sepulchral caves. It is quite certain 
that this is the Nain mentioned by the evangelist Luke. 
The name has never been forgotten. It was known to the 
crusaders, to Jerome and Eusebius, and to still more an- 
cient writers. 

The day after the healing of the centurion's servant, 
Jesus, accompanied by many of His disciples, walked from 
Capernaum to this little town of Nain — a distance of some 
eight or nine hours. If in accordance with oriental usage, 
He started early in the morning, He must have reached 
Nain at one or two o'clock in the afternoon. The route 
lay along the uplands which overlook the lake of Tiberias 
on the west, and wound around the western slope of 
Mount Tabor, leaving Nazareth a few miles to the right. 
As our Lord was climbing the steep ascent, and had almost 

*Lukevii. 11-17. 



THE RAISING OF THE WIDOW'S SON. 325 

reached the gate of the village, He met a funeral pro- 
cession. " Behold, there was a dead man carried out, the 
only son of his mother, and she was a widow." The cir- 
cumstances of the bereavement had awakened a deep and 
general sympathy with the solitary mourner; and it is 
pleasing to read that " much people of the city was with 
her." 

There was a striking contrast between the two proces- 
sions, which thus by apparent accident encountered each 
other. That which came from the city, clad in habili- 
ments of mourning, proclaimed the reign of sin and death 
upon the earth; that which approached the gate pro- 
claimed the resurrection and the life. Jesus, always full 
of pity, was deeply moved by the sorrow of the heart- 
broken widow, and said to her: "Weep not," — a word 
addressed, through her, to mourners the world over. He 
was conscious of that fulness of life in his own person, 
which should abolish death and sorrow, wrest from the 
grave its captives, and despoil it of its victory. So 
He checked, with His voice of love, the flowing tears of 
this lonely mourner, and kindled in her heart the hope 
of some great though unknown deliverance. Then He 
touched the open coffin,* and the majesty of His person 
and action caused the bearers to stand still. "And He 
said : Young man, I say unto thee, Arise ! And he that 
was dead sat up and began to speak ; and he delivered 
him to his mother." The astonishment that fell on all 
who witnessed this miracle was natural ; and their excla- 
mations, — "A great prophet is risen up among us!" and, 
— ff God hath visited His people ! " expressed a rational 
conclusion from such a resplendent proof of our Lord's 
superhuman power and love. 

As this is the first instance of the resurrection of the 

* This is the more precise meaning of the word rendered bier. 



326 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

dead recorded by the evangelists, it may well be the sub- 
ject of thoughtful consideration. In the first place, then, 
we assume that the young man was really dead. This 
was no case of suspended animation. Even rationalistic 
critics, and Strauss among them, have abandoned that hy- 
pothesis. All the circumstances of the case forbid the 
suspicion of mistake or collusion. 

It is to be noted, however, that the young man had 
not long been dead ; as it was the custom of the Jews 
to bury their dead before the going down of the sun, it 
is probable that but a few hours had elapsed since he had 
expired. There had been no decay of the vital organs; 
and the echoes of life yet lingered in their walls. There 
is reason to believe that the separation of soul and body 
is less sudden, and for a time less complete than is gen- 
erally supposed Perhaps the spirit, for a season, fondly 
lingers near its clay tenement. "The more deeply mod- 
ern science considers, along with the undeniable distinc- 
tion, the intimate connection also of spirit and matter, 
the less venturous appears the conjecture that the spirit, 
immediately after death, stands as yet in a closer con- 
nection with its scarcely abandoned dwelling-place than 
many are disposed to believe. This appears especially to 
have been the case with the dead persons whom Jesus 
raised. Departed in a time in which life and immor- 
tality had not yet been brought to light, they could at 
most only surrender themselves to death with composure, 
without longing after death; they were, moreover, still 
bound to the earth by holy bonds of blood and sym- 
pathy." * If ever a spirit was bound to earth by prayers 
and tears, it was that of the widow's son. And it was 
to the spirit that the voice of power was addressed, sum- 
moning it back to its not yet clay-cold habitation. And 

* Van Oosterzee, on Luke vii 11-17. 



THE RAISING OF THE WIDOW'S SOX. 327 

"there was still a thoroughly trodden way between the 
corpse and the spirit that had left it." # 

In suggesting this conception of the miracle, we would 
by no means detract from its greatness. It displayed the 
absolute control of Christ over all the powers of life and 
death ; and it enables us to read in a new light His own 
words : — " I am He that liveth, and was dead, and behold, 
I am alive forevermore, Amen, and have the keys of 

HELL AND OF DEATH." t 

*Lange. f Revelation i. 18. 



CHAPTER III.. 

MESSAGE OF JOHN THE BAPTIST TO JESUS. 

JOHN IN PRISON — HIS EXPECTATIONS WITH REGARD TO JESUS — HIS OC- 
CASION EOR DOUBT — HIS MENTAL CONFLICTS — SUCH CONFLICTS A 
NECESSARY DISCIPLINE — JOHN'S MESSAGE A PROOF OF HIS FAITH — 
HIS MESSAGE DELIVERED TO JESUS — OUR LORD'S ANSWER — ITS SIG- 
NIFICANCE — THE BAPTIST'S MIND SET AT REST — PRACTICAL LESSON. 

Ouk Lokd, having completed His instructions to the 
Twelve, and sent them forth on their mission, resumes His 
teaching and preaching in the cities of Galilee. During 
this circuit an incident of peculiar interest occurs. 

In the gloomy frontier fortress of Machserus beyond 
the Jordan, is a remarkable state prisoner who was arres- 
ted many months ago by Herod Antipas, ostensibly as a 
disturber of the peace, but really because he had the 
boldness to reprove that vicious prince for the sin of in- 
cest, of which he was notoriously guilty. This prisoner 
was John the Baptist. 

We learn from Josephus that the fortress in which John 
was imprisoned was on a lofty mountain near the south- 
eastern shore of the Dead Sea, on the very borders of 
Arabia. Almost impregnable by nature, it had been mag- 
nificently fortified by Herod the Great, and was in a con- 
dition to defy the armies of the world. Connected with 
the fortress was a splendid palace, where the voluptuous 
king often resided. Here, then, John the Baptist is con- 
fined. It was a great change for the austere preacher, 



MESSAGE OF JOHN THE BAPTIST TO JESUS. 329 

who had grown up in the free air of the desert, when he 
was suddenly conveyed from the banks of the Jordan, 
where he was surrounded with admiring multitudes, to a 
stern and lonely prison. It was trying to the loftiest 
fortitude ; and though John finally came forth from the 
furnace like gold seven times refined, he did not escape 
certain agonizing spiritual conflicts, which can best be 
understood by those who, like Bunyan's Pilgrim, have 
themselves fought with Apollyon in the Valley of the 
Shadow of Death. Let us enter his cell, and try to un- 
derstand his mental agonies. 

There is no doubt that the Baptist expected the speedy 
establishment of the kingdom of God, which he conceived 
of as indeed righteous and holy, yet as also outward and 
temporal. He looked for the manifestation and recogni- 
tion of Jesus as the Heir of David. As he lay in his 
prison, visited occasionally by some of his disciples, he 
expected news that Jesus had commenced His reign and 
that the kingdom was restored to Israel. But this great 
hope, deferred month after month, made his heart sick. 
Rumors indeed reached him of our Lord's miracles, but he 
still heard of Him, not as reigning at Jerusalem, but as 
healing diseases and teaching among the poor people of 
Galilee. He must also have heard of His free and social 
manner of life, so different from his own severe asceticism. 
Perhaps this excited his surprise, and first suggested the 
shadow of doubt whether Jesus was, after all, the Messiah. 
We conjecture too, that many rumors which reached him 
were not authentic. It is probable that the affectionate 
jealousy of his disciples unconsciously colored the facts 
which they reported. As the weeks and months wore on, 
who shall say but the Baptist looked for some affectionate 
and comforting message from Jesus ? No message came. 
Is he then forgotten by that "Lamb of God?" We can- 
not suppose that John's confidence in Jesus utterly failed : 



330 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

but he began to doubt whether he had understood His 
mission. That He was a prophet far greater than himself 
he believed ; but was He the Messiah ? 

I picture to myself the Baptist sitting in his cell, after 
a visit from some of his disciples, communing with his 
own heart as follows: — "I verily thought that the king- 
dom of God would be set up ere now. Why this delay ? 
Oh, these weary, weary months of hope deferred ! When 
I baptized the lowly Nazarene at Bethabara, did not I 
hear a voice from heaven declare Him the Son of God? 
Did I not see that wondrous Dove descend from the open 
heavens and rest upon Him ? After such a consecration 
I expected to see Him ascend the throne of David, re- 
generate the nation, and begin to reign in righteousness 
over the Gentiles. But still He tarries in Galilee, going 
from village to village, working many miracles, they say ; 
but why does He not announce Himself to Israel as their 
long expected King ? What is this doubt which pierces 
my heart like a dagger? What if, after all, Jesus is not 
the Messiah? Perhaps His mission is also one of prepara- 
tion. But no ; — I heard and bore witness that He was the 
Son of God. But this tormenting doubt will not fly. I 
must know : I will know from His own lips. I will send 
my most trusted disciples — who are more unbelieving 
than I am, and need comfort like me. I will send them 
to Jesus, and ask Him plainly, Art Thou the Christ or 
must we still look for Him ? " 

This determination to send to Jesus Himself, proves that 
John was victorious in the conflict with doubt. That he 
inquired of Jesus in this manner shows his state of temp- 
tation ; that he inquired of none but Jesus manifests his 
faith in Him. The question of John is another " Lord, I 
believe, help Thou mine unbelief." His prayer was an- 
swered by our Divine Lord in the manner best calculated 
to give permanent peace to the mind of the solitary, 



MESSAGE OF JOHN THE BAPTIST TO JESUS. 331 

tempted prophet. Jesus does not say to John's messen- 
gers: "Yes; I am the Christ;" but He gave such an 
answer as would be satisfactory to John without compro- 
mising Him with the civil and ecclesiastical authorities 
of the nation, and thus precipitating the great crisis 
which should put an end to His earthly mission. In the 
presence of John's messengers Jesus wrought many be- 
neficent miracles, " healing many of their infirmities and 
plagues, and of evil spirits, and giving sight to many that 
were blind;" after which He sent back the men to their 
master, saying : " Go your way and tell John what things 
ye have seen and heard ; how that the blind see, the lame 
walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are 
raised up, to the poor the gospel is preached. And blessed 
is he whosoever shall not be offended in me." 

Undoubtedly our Lord conveyed to John in this mes- 
sage, the credentials of His Messiahship. The latter had 
formed a true though inadequate conception of the Mes- 
siah ; he conceived of Him as a Redeemer, a Healer, a Com- 
forter, a Preacher of glad tidings to the poor, of liberty 
to the captive, and healing to the broken-hearted. John's 
disciples found Jesus in the midst of His Messianic labors, 
among the poor and suffering, the sinful and unhappy, 
bearing their griefs and carrying their sicknesses, dispens- 
ing at once, with divine generosity, temporal and eternal 
benefits. They found Him exercising absolute dominion 
over the powers of nature, over the world of spirits, over 
the cold obstruction of the grave ; and at the same time 
preaching the gospel to the poor. They were directed, 
in words of blended warning and benediction, to report 
these things to their master; "Blessed is he whosoever 
shall not be offended in me." We doubt not that this 
blessing came to John in all its fulness. 

I should like to have been there when the messengers 
returned. I should like to have looked into that sad 



332 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

heroic soul, in which deep called unto deep, when the 
blessedness of a perfect faith stole over the awful billows 
of doubt, and they sunk away to rise no more forever. 
Thus, while standing by the shore of the sea whose waters 
were broken into foam by a tempest, have I seen the sun 
break forth at evening. Instantly the clouds, touched 
with crimson and gold, shriveled, crumbled to pieces, and 
melted away ; the winds piped themselves to sleep ; the 
ocean, still as a dreaming infant, glowed with gem-like 
hues ; and " peace supreme " brooded over all. Thus it is 
when the calm bliss of perfect faith is imparted to the 
soul that has been tossed and torn by agitating doubt, 
Thus, we are persuaded, was it with John the Baptist, 
The inward tempest and trial of his soul, preparatory to 
his approaching martyrdom, had passed ; and a heavenly 
tranquillity and glory were gathered about the evening of 
his eventful life. What matter now how soon the night 
might come ! 

Years ago I saw a picture in a foreign land, called the 
u Sleep of Argyle," one of the most touching and sublime 
I ever beheld. The duke, lying on a prison pallet, in the 
midst of soldiers, and in the presence of his executioner, 
who has come to lead him to the scaffold, is seen sleeping 
sweetly as an infant, his face radiant with a heavenly 
dream and brooded over by the peace of God. Such, I 
fancy, was the repose of John the Baptist, the night after 
the message of Jesus reached him. Such, I fancy, may 
have been his repose on the morning of his execution, for 
his execution is at hand. .One sharp and bitter pang 
awaits him ; but that shall be the last he shall ever feel. 

It is no matter of surprise that John should have had 
his season of fiery trial. The Christian, like his Divine 
Lord, is to be made perfect through sufferings. John's 
mission had been one calculated to lead to self-exaltation. 
It was necessary that, by temporary desertion, he should 



MESSAGE OF JOHN THE BAPTIST TO JESUS. 333 

be made sensible of bis weakness. In no way conld tbis 
be so effectually done as by leaving bis faith to its own 
strength; — as by opening beneath his feet the bottom- 
less abyss of doubt, from which his soul recoiled in horror 
and from which he could find in himself no deliverance. 
There is for the mature Christian no more fearful moment 
of trial, than that in which his firmest conviction is shaken 
to its foundation, and he sees himself sliding into actual 
infidelity. Such times of struggle between light and 
darkness, between belief and unbelief, had those giants 
in faith, Luther and Baxter and Bunyan, and only as 
they encountered legions of doubt, and, in the name of 
Jesus, overcame and scattered them, were they perfected 
in faith and patience. 

John's temptation, and his conduct under it, are not 
without their lesson to us. If this stern, incorruptible 
prophet, with all the miraculous evidence he had that 
Jesus was the Christ, was for a time staggered with doubt, 
need we be surprised if we are sometimes sorely beset 
with similar trials? There will be times when the foun- 
dations will seem to be failing. But we need not lose 
hope ; we have help near at hand. We have only to 
imitate the wisdom of John, in sending to Jesus Himself 
for a solution of our doubts ; we shall have a speedy and 
joyful deliverance. As doubts are usually due to our dis- 
tance from Jesus, when they come upon us, let us betake 
ourselves to Him and they will be at once dispelled. 



CHAPTEE IV. 
JESUS DISCOURSES UPON JOHN THE BAPTIST. 

FALSE INFERENCES OF THE PEOPLE AS TO JOHN — JESUS DECLARES JOHN'S 
PRE-EMINENCE AS A PROPHET — HE AFFIRMS THE SUPERIORITY OF HIS 
FOLLOWERS TO JOHN — JESUS EXPOSES THE TRUE CHARACTER OF THE 

POPULAR EXCITEMENT UNDER JOHN'S PREACHING HE REBUKES THE 

CAPTIOUSNESS OF THE PEOPLE — THE FORCE OF HIS LANGUAGE — A 
GROWING HOSTILITY TO JESUS APPARENT. 

The messengers of John having taken their departure, 
Jesus addressed Himself to the multitude, who had been 
close observers of all that transpired in the remarkable 
interview just narrated. It would appear that some of 
them had drawn inferences unfavorable to the Baptist. 
To them it seemed that this man, once so stern and in- 
flexible, had either become weak and vacillating, or he | 
was beginning to see himself in error as to the Messiah- 
ship of Jesus. Such impressions could not but react un- 
favorably upon our Lord Himself. He, therefore, seeks 
to correct their erroneous conclusions. 

Addressing them somewhat abruptly, He says : " But 
what went ye out into the wilderness to see ? A reed 
shaken by the wind ? " * Such he now seems to you, — 
weak and fickle as the reed that bends before every 
breeze. But how was it when you went out to him in 
the desert ? Did he then seem so to you ? " But what 
went ye out to see ? A man clothed in soft raiment ? 

* Luke viii. 24. 



JESUS DISCOURSES ON JOHN. 335 

Behold they which are gorgeously apparelled, and live 
delicately, are in king's courts."* Surely you did not 
expect to see a luxurious courtier preaching repentance 
in the desert You found, on the contrary, a man clothed 
in a garment of camel's hair, with a leathern thong about 
his loins; you found a rough, earnest ascetic. Think 
you that a few months of imprisonment have made such 
a man effeminate and yielding. "But what went ye 
out to see ? — a prophet ? Yea, I say unto you, and much 
more than a prophet." John was more than an ordinary 
prophet of the former dispensation; he had a high and 
peculiar mission, namely, to prepare the way for the mani- 
festation of the Messiah, according to the prediction, — 
"Behold, I send my messenger before my face, which 
shall prepare thy way before thee." t 

Having thus declared John's superiority as a prophet, 
our Lord proceeds, while reaffirming that superiority in 
a more emphatic manner, to show the still higher dig- 
nity and privilege of those who were His true followers. 
"Among those born of women," says he, "there is not 
a greater prophet than John the Baptist;" — "I wish you 
to understand that fully, but still I would have you 
know that, notwithstanding that," — "He that is least in 
the kingdom of God, is greater than he" t These words 
are worthy of thorough study. Their peculiar signifi- 
cance may be seen from several points of view. 

John was superior to all the prophets of the old dispen- 
sation, in the greater clearness of his views concerning the 
person and offices of the Messiah and the nature of His 
kingdom. He enjoyed also the unspeakable honor of see- 
ing, announcing, and officially, as His forerunner, of inau- 
gurating the Redeemer. He thus occupied an advanced 
stand-point ; he stood on the extreme verge of the Mosaic 

*Luke vii. 25. fMalachi iii. 1. Iluke vii. 28. 






336 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 



dispensation, and just on the glorious border of the Mes- 
sianic kingdom. What more distinguished position, save 
that of our Lord Himself! And yet, as still conceiving 
of the Messiah as a temporal prince, and as looking for 
an outward theocracy, his views were narrow and errone- 
ous as compared with those of the children of the king- 
dom, even the weakest and most ignorant. To those who 
are born of God, Jesus appears in a higher, clearer light 
as a spiritual Prophet, Priest and King, of whose divine 
dignity and prerogatives no temporal sovereignty, how- 
ever august, could be other than a feeble and imperfect 
type. In this respect, the least in the kingdom of heaven 
is greater than John the Baptist. 

Still further, there is an implied comparison between 
John as one "born of women," and those who are "born 
of God." To this latter class John did not in strictness 
of speech belong. It is true that in a wide and figurative 
sense, the saints of the old dispensation were, as having 
been converted by a special divine influence, born again. 
Yet in a stricter evangelical sense, those only are regen- 
erated who are quickened by the Second Adam, through 
the agency of the Holy Spirit, which was not given till 
after the ascension of our Lord. There is a specialty in 
the new birth under the new covenant, — a partaking of 
the divine-human life of the Incarnate Word, which was 
not enjoyed by the Old Testament saints. The existence 
of such a superiority was expressly indicated by John 
himself in the words : " I indeed baptize you with water 
unto repentance ; but He that cometh after me is mightier 
than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear ; He shall 
baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire."* The 
gift of the Holy Ghost was conditioned upon the incar- 
nation of the Word and the exaltation of the Son of Man 



* Matthew iii. 11. 



JESUS DISCOURSES ON JOHN. 337 

to the right hand of the Father. This special privilege 
and glory of members of the gospel church, John, though 
the greatest of prophets born of women, had not received. 
Hence, in this respect, the least in the kingdom of heaven 
was greater than he. 

Our Lord now proceeds to indicate the questionable, or 
at least, insufficient character of the reformatory move- 
ment under John's preaching. " From the days of John 
until now," says he "the kingdom of heaven suffereth 
violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the 
prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye 
will receive it, this is Elias which was for to come. He 
that hath ears to hear, let him hear." # 

His language is to this effect : "Since John came preach- 
ing repentance, you have been seized with a marvellous 
fervor and zeal ; one would think you even ready to take 
the kingdom of heaven by violence. But whence all 
this new, this wonderful interest • what is its real value ? 
The prophets and the law prophesied until John. The 
burden of their teaching was this same repentance and 
holiness. If your interest in the things of the kingdom 
is genuine, why was it not awakened before ? But, be- 
sides this, John's ministry marks the commencement of a 
new epoch, — an epoch especially looked forward to and 
foretold by the law and the prophets, and of which the 
great feature was to be the coming of the Messiah. John 
is the prophet of this new era, the Elias who was to come. 
As such, his special mission is to preach the immediate 
coming of Christ. You run wild with excitement over 
John as the preacher of repentance; where is your in- 
terest in John as the forerunner of the Messiah ? If you 
were sincere and consistent, would you not give your first 
and chief attention to Him, the greater, whom it is John's 



* Matthew xi. 12-15. 

22 



338 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 



aim to point out to you." That this was the hidden and 
more profound meaning of our Lord's words, is clearly 
suggested by His closing remark : " He that hath ears to 
hear, let him hear ; " that is, " There is more in what I say 
than appears on the surface ; only those who listen atten- 
tively and thoughtfully will be able to get at its full 
meaning." 

Jesus now proceeds to speak more plainly of another 
proof of the inconsistency of the people, and of the empti- 
ness of all their professions. He refers to their relative 
treatment of Himself and John in another more exclu- 
sively personal direction. " Whereunto shall I liken this 
generation? It is like unto children sitting in the mar- 
kets, and calling unto their fellows, and saying : We have 
piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have 
mourned unto you and ye have not lamented. For John 
came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, he hath a 
devil: the Son of Man came, eating and drinking, and 
they say, Behold a man gluttonous and a wine-bibber, a 
friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified 
of her children."*' 

Our Lord here intimates, that the people were not 
actuated by a love for the truth. If they were, they 
would not attach so much importance to mere personal 
matters. The contrasted austerity of John and sociality 
of Jesus, were of small account compared with the great 
truths of the kingdom, which they were alike teaching. 
The fact, too, that they were thus unlike in personal 
manner and habit, was nothing when their doctrinal 
harmony was properly taken into view. But for these 
greater matters the people had little interest. Like 
querulous children at play, they only sought to be 
amused, and could not be satisfied unless every whim 






* Matthew xi. 16-19. 



JESUS DISCOURSES ON JOHN*. 339 

was humored. Displeased with the stern asceticism of 
John, — a trait both natural and becoming in a prophet 
and reformer, — they were no better satisfied with the 
tender, genial humanity of Jesus, who, as was to be ex- 
pected of a Divine Saviour, mingled freely with the sinful, 
the suffering, the lost. Wisdom would be justified of her 
children; but evidently this unreasonable Jewish multi- 
tude did not belong to that class. 

It is quite clear from the tenor of this discourse, that a 
strong opposition to our Lord was already organized and 
led on by the very persons who secretly or openly opposed 
John, and that the people, although excited and curious to 
behold His miracles, were fast becoming infected with the 
skeptical, caviling spirit of their leaders. We shall find 
this opposition growing stronger and stronger as we ap- 
proach the later portion of our Lord's life. All classes 
will become offended at Him ; they will cast out His name 
as evil ; they will deride His miracles ; they will scoff at 
His preaching; they will hunt Him from place to place; 
they will finally crucify Him. 



CHAPTER V. 
JESUS FORGIVES THE WOMAN, AT SIMON'S FEAST. 

OUR LORD'S FREEDOM FROM PREJUDICE — HE ATTENDS SIMON'S FEAST — 
A WOMAN BATHES AND ANOINTS THE FEET OF JESUS — HER CHARAC- 
TER AND CONDITION — SIMON TAKES OFFENCE — JESUS REBUKES HIM — 
JESUS FORGIVES THE WOMAN — THE GUESTS CAVIL AT HIS WORDS — 
PECULIARITY IN OUR LORD'S LANGUAGE — THE WOMAN DEPARTS — JESUS 
CONTINUES HIS LABORS, ATTENDED BY CERTAIN WOMEN — OUR LORD'S 
SPECIAL TENDERNESS TO THE FALLEN AND WRETCHED — EMPLOYMENT 
OF THE WOMEN WHO FOLLOWED JESUS — THE PROPER SPHERE OF FE- 
MALE PIETY. 

As we have already seen, Jesus was entirely free from 
prejudice. In a spirit of genial humanity, He freely 
mingled with all classes of society. We see Him on the 
shores of Lake Gennesaret, equally at home among farm- 
ers and fishermen ; we see Him sitting with the woman of 
Sychar at Jacob's Well, winning her affection and con- 
fidence by words of matchless condescension and love ; 
we follow Him to the house of Matthew and Zaccheus, 
and behold Him surrounded with publicans, and scoffed at 
by self-righteous Pharisees as the Friend of sinners ; we 
are about to see Him dining at the house of one of these 
very Pharisees. 

At the conclusion of our Lord's discourse concerning 
John the Baptist, narrated in the preceding chapter, a 
Pharisee, named Simon, invited our Lord to eat with him. 
What was the motive which gave rise to this invitation, we 
are left to conjecture. Perhaps this Pharisee or some 
member of his family had been healed by Christ, and he 






THE WOMAN AT SIMON'S FEAST. 341 

wished in this way to make some return for the benefit ; 
perhaps he was a social, hospitable man, who really was 
pleased to have his house filled with company ; or perhaps 
he wished to see the Nazarene in private, that he might 
study His character to better advantage than in the midst 
of an excited multitude ; or, possibly, though it is hardly 
probable, he was really drawn to Christ by an incipient 
faith and sympathy. But whatever may have been the 
motive, the invitation was given and accepted ; Jesus 
" went into the Pharisee's house and sat down to meat." * 
The guests at this feast were all collected at the table, 
not sitting on chairs, according to our modern and acci- 
dental custom, but reclining on a sort of couch or car- 
peted platform, so that their feet lay outstretched behind 
them during the meal. How many guests were present 
on this occasion the evangelist has not told us ; but it is 
altogether probable that several of the disciples accom- 
panied their Master to Simon's house. In the presence 
of Jesus, Simon is more honored than he knows. He is 
unconscious of the dignity of his Guest; and though he 
means to be courteous, yet in respect to this Nazarene 
Carpenter and His peasant followers, he seems to think 
some points of etiquette may be dropped. No servant, 
with basin and towel, appears to wash His feet from the 
sand and dust of travel, and His head is not anointed 
with fragrant oil. Jesus notes the omission, but no sense 
of wounded dignity lowers upon His ever placid brow, 
or casts a shadow over the feast. Suddenly a female fig- 
ure glides into the room. She passes on to the place 
where Jesus reclines, and stands behind Him. As she 
looks down on that serene form, her bosom is shaken 
with a tempest of emotion. She bursts into tears. Her 
tears fall like rain on the unsandaled feet before her; and 

*Luke vii. 37. 



342 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

those feet are not withdrawn. She wipes them with her 
long, disheveled hair, and then weeps a fresh flood upon 
them, and again wipes them. Nay, more- with the aban- 
donment of overflowing love, she fervently kisses those 
holy feet. Finally she opens an alabaster box of pre- 
cious ointment, and anoints them* 

And who is she ? Simon, the Pharisee, looks at her 
with a frown. The evangelist tells her story in a word. 
She was a woman of the city, and a sinner. What a 
tragedy is contained in these few words ! Yes, this 
woman is a child of sin. She doubtless had a father and 
mother who watched with delight and hope over her 
sweet infancy, her prattling childhood, and maiden beauty. 
Perhaps she had brothers who regarded her with affec- 
tionate pride, and sisters who clung to her as a part of 
their own life. Perhaps she had a sweet home among 
those hills of Galilee, embowered in vines and olive 
trees, — a home made sweeter by her sunny smiles and 
maiden fancies overflowing in involuntary songs. She 
must have gathered round her many friends, for she had 
a large and loving heart. But there came a sad change. 
She had fallen, — oh, how low ! She was now an outcast. 
Parents, brothers, sisters, friends — all had deserted and 
disowned her. She was not, it would seem, in poverty 
and want; she even seems to have had abundance of 
wealth at her command. But she was unhappy. Re- 
morse, shame, memory, like three vultures, preyed upon 
her heart. She loathed herself; she loathed her manner 
of life. Far within her bosom, jealously guarded from 
human eyes, was a fountain of holy memories, and passion- 
ate yearnings for purity and peace. But she was hope- 
less ; living on, day after day, in sullen despair. 

* Many features of this description ttlII be found to resemble an exquisitely 
beautiful passage by Neheniiah Adams, D. D. I read it years ago ; the 
book is lent, (alas !) and I cannot refer the reader to chapter and page. 



THE WOMAN AT SIMON'S FEAST. 343 

At length the day came when a stranger appeared in 
the city. It was said that He wrought signs and wonders, 
and spake as never man spake — that He even forgave sins. 
She will go and see Him. She beholds a young man with 
a countenance and bearing of such blended meekness, 
majesty, purity and tenderness, that she is smitten with 
tearful reverence. She sees His miracles ; she hears His 
wondrous words ; she knows that this is the Son of God ; 
her pride all gives way ; her hard heart breaks ; faith in 
Jesus springs up in her soul, and peace flows in like a 
river. She has found the Deliverer — He is altogether 
lovely in her eyes, and all the love of her deep woman's 
heart, purified from everything earthly, is centered on 
Him forever and forever. The ice at her heart all melts 
away ; and she goes home as on wings. But she can not 
rest there. She must express her love. But how ! She 
at length sees Him go to the Pharisee's house, and her 
hie art yearns to follow Him. A thought strikes her ; she 
goes to the perfumer's. She buys his costliest box of oint- 
ment, and hastens away to the house of Simon. Trem- 
bling with mingled fear, love and joy, she comes, as we 
have seen, into the presence of Jesus. And now, the odor 
of the outpoured ointment fills the room : the woman, 
who has not uttered a single word, still stands behind the 
Saviour, and He does not repel her ; but there is one who 
looks on with an unloving heart. This is Simon the Phar- 
isee. He knows the history of this woman ; and he says 
within himself, " This Man if He were a prophet would 
have known who, and what manner of woman this is that 
toucheth Him."* 

Jesus knowing right well what His host was saying in 
his heart, and addressing Himself to his thoughts, said, 
u Simon I have somewhat to say unto thee." Simon cour- 



* Luke vii. 39. 



344 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

teously answered, " Master, say on." " A certain creditor 
had two debtors ; the one owed him five hundred pence 
(denarii) and the other fifty. And when they had noth- 
ing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me, there- 
fore, which of them will love him most?"* — The Pharisee 
naturally answered, "I suppose he to whom he forgave 
most." Simon, thou hast condemned thyself. Jesus 
turned to the woman, who had not spoken a single word 
since she came into the room, and said to the Pharisee, 
" Seest thou this woman ? — I entered into thy house and 
thou gavest me no water for my feet ; but she hath washed 
my feet with tears," — oh, precious ablution ! " My head 
with oil thou didst not anoint; but this woman hath 
anointed my feet with ointment,"! — still more precious 
anointing ! Simon's cold and maimed hospitality is here 
placed in vivid contrast with the woman's ardent and gen- 
erous affection ; and he was doubtless overwhelmed with 
shame if not with penitence in the presence of his guests. 
Having thus rebuked Simon, the proud Pharisee, see 
how the "Friend of sinners" pours the balm of comfort 
into the wounded heart of the penitent at His feet. 
"Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, 
are forgiven ; for she loved much ; but to whom little is 
forgiven, the same loveth little. And He said unto her, 
Thy sins are forgiven." Her sins had been many; and 
they were such as society never forgives. They had been 
lying on her heart for years, heavy and cold as ice. The 
heavens over her were of a leaden hue, the auroral bright- 
ness, " the celestial rosy-red," of life's morning having long 
since faded away. Cold, dark, dreary had been the heart 
of that poor sinner ever since the peace of innocence had 
flown. Now she hears from those lips that speak nothing 
but truth, that her sins are all forgiven. This is enough : 

* Luke vil 40, 41. t Luke vii. 44, 46. 



THE WOMAN AT SIMON'S FEAST. 345 

she desires no more. The whole current of her life is 
turned heavenward. She is full of peace. 

But there were some sitting at the feast, who could not 
understand this scene ; they knew not the divine dignity 
of Jesus. "Who is this/' said they within themselves, 
" that forgive th sins also ? " Jesus paid no further atten- 
tion to their cavils than to say to the woman : " thy faith 
hath saved thee ; go in peace." It is worthy of notice, in 
passing, that our Lord, in speaking of the forgiveness of 
the woman to the Pharisee, mentions only her love; but 
He tells the woman herself that her faith had saved her. 
Both sayings were true. Her faith was full of love ; her 
love was kindled by faith. The Pharisee was cold and 
unloving in his heart; and therefore Jesus admonished 
him on that subject. The woman, dismissed with such a 
benediction, withdrew; and we hear no more of her. We 
may, however, be quite sure that her love to Jesus never 
grew cold, but glowed in her heart to its very last pulsa- 
tion. Among the blessed saints in paradise, methinks she 
sings loud and sweet as any : 

Love I much ? I've much forgiven, 
I ? m a miracle of grace. 

Having finished His attendance on Simon's feast, our 
Lord continued His missionary circuit in Galilee, going 
throughout every city and village, preaching and show- 
ing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God * Of this 
circuit, the evangelist notes this peculiarity, that "the 
twelve were with Him, and certain women which had 
been healed of evil spirits, Mary called Magdalene, out 
of whom went seven devils, and Susanna, and many 
others, which ministered unto Him of their substance."! 
These devoted women seem to have continued with Him, 

*Luke viii. 1. f Luke viii. 2, 3. 



346 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

during the whole remaining portion of His ministry ; and 
we find them at last following Him up to Jerusalem, and 
standing afar off while He hung upon the cross. To 
them He manifested Himself first after His resurrection. 
Some of them were evidently persons of rank and wealth, 
who, with woman's self-sacrificing love and changeless 
faith, clung to Him when all others forsook Him. 

From this portion of the sacred narrative, it will be 
seen how justly our Lord earned the blessed title given 
Him in scorn by the contemptuous Pharisees, " Friend 
of sinners." With what charitable reticence as to their 
guilt and degradation; with what meek condescension 
to their wants and woes, He always met them ! He did 
not appear to the lost and ruined as the mere revealer 
of divine purity and justice, denouncing their sins, and 
hurling against them thunderbolts of reproof and threat- 
ening. This would have defeated the very end He had 
in view. They would have fled from Him as did Adam 
in the garden : He could not have converted them. He 
knew that He could not save them, except as He drew 
them to His love and service. He knew that love can 
only be awakened by the exhibition of a lovable object; 
that men are constrained almost by a necessity of their 
nature to love those by whom they are beloved. Hence, 
in His association with them, love pervaded and suffused 
all His words and actions. Hence, too, He came to them 
with glad tidings. He knew that despair was death. His 
voice brought life-giving hope. When He came to them 
with those words of grace, " Come unto me all ye that 
labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest,"* 
the weary, sullen despair which had settled down upon 
their hearts, like the blackness of darkness, broke away, 
and the sunbeams of hope fell upon the frozen fountains 

* Matthew xi. 28. 



THE WOMAN AT SIMON'S FEAST. 347 

of their moral affections, making their hearts all warm 
and fresh and green again. Love and hope are the two 
things necessary to a divine, redeeming hold upon the 
heart. 

While, therefore, the sober and respectable Pharisees al- 
most universally rejected Jesus, the publicans and harlots 
received Him with undissembled joy. They instinctively 
recognized Him as their Friend and Deliverer : they gath- 
ered about Him with confidence and love. His meekness, 
humility, gentleness, humanity, — disarmed their pride, 
melted their hard hearts and won them to His cause. 
Jesus was like a mighty loadstone to all burdened, sin- 
sick souls. They were drawn to Him : they found in Him 
their centre and their rest. Their inward yearnings after 
peace, pardon and redemption prepared them to under- 
stand His mission ; to recognize in Him their Redeemer. 
Hence, the more degraded classes were the most ready 
to believe in Him. "Verily I say unto you," was our 
Lord's language to the chief priests and elders, — the rep- 
resentatives of the higher classes, — "the publicans and 
harlots go into the kingdom of God before you."* 

The course of our Lord in the particular case recorded 
in the narrative is suggestive of a special adaptation and 
attractiveness in the religion of Jesus to fallen and un- 
happy women. The woman mentioned in this connec- 
tion, and the woman of Samaria, who appeared earlier in 
our history, were simply representatives of an outcast and 
wretched class, many of whom were doubtless assured of 
forgiveness from the lips of Jesus Himself. And wherever 
Jesus has been truly represented, similar trophies of the 
victorious power of love have been laid at His feet. In 
fact, the gospel has everywhere found woman degraded 
and miserable, and has made her pure, free and happy. 



* Matthew xxi. 31. 



348 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

There seems to be a susceptibility to religious impression, 
a deep trust and tenderness, a yearning after purity and 
communion with the Saviour, in the female heart, (pol- 
luted and hardened though it be by a life of sin,) rarely 
found in the other sex. Let the poor outcast, at whom a 
selfish world points the finger of scorn, only be made to 
hope; let her be assured that there is redemption for her ; 
let the Saviour be exhibited to her as her friend and Re- 
deemer; and, if the last vestige of womanhood be not 
crushed out of her heart, she will hasten to the feet of 
her Deliverer with the tears of penitence and the fra- 
grant ointment of love. Oh, we do a grievous wrong to 
Christ and His gospel; we limit unwarrantably the might 
of the Redeemer's love, when we turn away with indiffer- 
ence, discouragement or scorn, from the poor children of 
sin, for whom He died as well as for us ; and for whom, 
while living on earth, He evinced such divine compassion. 
Many such are without doubt filling heaven itself with 
the fragrance of their precious love ; and many more, 
through the faith and charity of the saints, shall be raised 
from " the horrible pit and the miry clay," to the same 
blessedness and glory. 

Of the precise manner in which the women who fol- 
lowed our Lord assisted Him, we know little beyond the 
hint given as to their ministering to Him of their sub- 
stance. But the very silence of the evangelists is ex- 
pressive. No intimation is given us that the women of 
the gospels either acted as apostles or teachers, or coldly 
obtruded themselves on public notice, declaiming upon 
the wrongs of their sex, or delivering harangues on the 
affairs of state. We do find them, however, following 
Jesus in His journeys as His trusted, affectionate friends, 
listening to His gracious words, witnessing His miracles, 
ministering to His temporal wants, providing for Him of 
their substance, bathing and anointing His feet, watching 



THE WOMAN AT SIMON'S FEAST. 349 

by His cross, embalming His body, and worshiping Him 
after His resurrection. 

From this we may learn something of the proper sphere 
of female piety in every age. It is still the privilege of 
noble-hearted, faithful women to minister to Christ in His 
members ; still the body of Christ is under their care. 
What they do to the least of His people or His suffer- 
ing ones everywhere, they do to Him. By clothing the 
naked, feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, comforting 
the broken-hearted, sheltering the oppressed fugitive, and 
sending the gospel to the destitute, they fulfill their 
highest mission, and secure to themselves the benedic- 
tion, " Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of the least of these 
my brethren, ye did it unto me." # It is by such acts of 
love and mercy that they pour forth on the body of Christ 
a precious ointment, the fragrance of which not only fills 
earth, but reaches to heaven. 

* Matthew xxv. 40. 



CHAPTER VI. 

JESUS HEALS A BLIND AND DUMB DEMONIAC. 

POSTURE OF THE PHARISEES TOWARDS JESUS — JESUS HEALS THE BLIND 
AND DUMB DEMONIAC — THE BLASPHEMING CAVIL OF THE PHARISEES — 
OUR LORD'S ANSWER — FORCE OF HIS LANGUAGE — THE ARGUMENTUM 

AD HOMINEM — ARGUMENT FROM THE ABSURDITY OF THE THING 

OUR LORD REBUKES THE PHARISEES — SCRIPTURE DECLARATIONS AS 
TO THE UNPARDONABLE SIN — THE EFFORT TO EXPLAIN AWAY THE 
SCRIPTURES ON THIS POINT — THERE IS SUCH A SIN — ITS GENERAL 
DIRECTION — ITS GENERAL NATURE — ITS SPECIFIC ELEMENTS — CALVIN'S 

COMMENT — ANDREW FULLER'S VIEW NOTHING MYSTERIOUS IN THE 

UNPARDONABLE SIN — GENERAL SIGNS OF REPROBATION. 

The ministry of our Lord had continued, it is thought, 
two full years when the incidents which are here narrated 
occurred. It had now become impossible to be either in- 
different or neutral in respect to His extraordinary claims 
as a Teacher sent from God. The Pharisees, the scribes, 
the priests and the rulers had generally taken ground 
against Him; but many of the common people still ad- 
hered to Him, though the number of sincere and en- 
lightened disciples was very small. The Pharisees were 
laboring assiduously to fill the popular mind with preju- 
dice and hostility, and not without success. On the other 
hand our Lord was denouncing, with increasing severity, 
the pride and hypocrisy of that powerful sect, and this 
raised their opposition to a pitch of fiendish malignity. 
They now dogged His steps wherever He went ; they lay 
in wait to catch Him in His words ; they caviled at all His 
discourses ; they blasphemed His miracles. This has been 



HEALING OF THE DUMB DEMONIAC. 351 

seen in their conduct in relation to the miracle wrought 
upon the man with the withered hand. 

Not long after the touching incident just narrated, 
another miracle was wrought, so remarkable that the 
enemies of Christ, not being able to deny it, and yet de- 
termined not to yield, could only blaspheme. A certain 
demoniac was brought to Him, who was blind and dumb. 
Whether this calamity was caused by his being possessed 
with the evil spirit, is not quite certain, though the form 
of expression used by Matthew would lead us to think 
so. However this may have been, our Lord healed the 
wretched creature, and he both spake and saw. This was 
evidently regarded by the people as a wonderful miracle ; 
and they very naturally asked, "Is not this the Son of 
David?"* Is not this our long-expected Messiah? The 
Pharisees, some of whom had come down from Jerusalem, 
were alarmed. The miracle could not be denied; it was 
patent ; every one might convince himself by personal in- 
quiry of its reality ; but its effect on the multitude must 
in some way be neutralized. The cure was real, and it 
was evidently wrought by supernatural agency; so much 
must be acknowledged ; but did it, therefore, follow that 
it was effected by the finger of God ? Might not Jesus 
be in league with the kingdom of evil, and might not His 
miracles be wrought by the aid of evil spirits ? This 
was, in fact, the only cavil in the power of the Pharisees 
to offer. "This fellow," said they, "cloth not cast out 
devils but by Beelzebub, the prince of the devils." t 

In reply to this objection our Lord addresses them in a 
discourse of mingled argumentation, reproof and warn- 
ing. In the first place, He refutes the cavil by argument. 
" Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to deso- 
lation ; and every city or house divided against itself shall 

* Matthew xii. 23. t Matthew xii. 24. 



352 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

not stand. And if Satan cast ont Satan, he is divided 
against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand ?"* 
The point of the argument is this: — Jesus shows them 
the contradictory character of their accusation. He com- 
pares a kingdom, a city, a family, in short, any social union 
whatever, with the kingdom of Satan; and argues that 
as nothing of the kind can maintain its existence without 
a certain order and cleaving together of the members, so 
in like manner, neither can the kingdom of darkness. 
Or to adopt the language of Neander: "It is a contra- 
diction in terms to suppose that good can be directly 
wrought by evil ; that evil should be conquered by evil ; 
that one should be freed from the power of the evil one, 
by the power of the evil one. Could evil thus do the 
works of good it would be no more evil." Our Lord as- 
sumes that the tendency of His miracles was to over- 
throw the kingdom of evil ; that is, to deliver men both 
from sin and suffering. If Satan should have lent his aid 
to the performance of such miracles, he would have co- 
operated in the subversion of his own empire. 

Next follows an argumentum ad hominem : " If I by 
Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children 
cast them out ? Therefore they shall be your judges." t 
There were among the Jews themselves professional ex- 
orcists. " If such an accusation as you bring against Me, 
were brought against your own sons, they would pro- 
nounce it absurd. Why should you charge me with doing 
by the assistance of Satan, what you believe them to ac- 
complish by divine power?" Thus He shows them that 
their charge springs from malice, and not from sincere 
conviction. "But," He continues, "if I cast out devils by 
the spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto 
you." % The impossibility of expelling evil spirits, except 

* Matthew xii. 25, 26. f Matthew xii. 27. X Matthew xii. 28. 



HEALING OF THE DUMB DEMONIAC. 353 

by a superior power, is next placed in a strong light by 
the following illustration : — " Or else how can one enter 
into a strong man's house and spoil his goods, except he 
first bind the strong man? and then will he spoil his 
goods."* Satan is here represented as keeping the mis- 
erable demoniac, as a strong warrior keeps a fortified 
palace, — for that is the figure, — who must first be over- 
come by a stronger, be despoiled of his armor and be 
bound, before his palace can be occupied and his goods 
enjoyed by the conqueror. Evil in the heart of man is 
not a mere negation, — a mere deficiency of light and 
knowledge, but a power so great and terrible that God 
alone can subdue it. This closes the argumentative part 
of the discourse. The Pharisees are answered. 

Our Lord, now assuming that tone of authority which 
was proper to Him, proceeds to show their unspeakable 
guilt in the utterance of such blasphemies, and the terri- 
ble doom they were thereby provoking. "Wherefore I 
say unto you, all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be 
forgiven unto men ; but the blasphemy against the Holy 
Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever 
shall speak a word against the Son of Man it shall be for- 
given him ; but whosoever shall speak a word against the 
Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this 
world, neither in the world to come."t These awful 
words must not be lightly passed over. They are too 
pregnant and momentous to be dismissed with a hasty 
comment. 

We rightly infer from the words of Christ, that there 
is a sin which is unpardonable, — a sin of which the cer- 
tain, invariable consequence is eternal perdition. This is 
not only declared with fearful emphasis in the text ; but 
in many other passages of Scripture, among which the 

* Matthew xii. 29. t Matthew xii. 31, 32. 

23 



354 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

following demand special notice. In the address of Peter 
to Simon Magus there is a plain allusion to the unpar- 
donable sin. " Repent of this thy wickedness, and pray 
God, if perhaps the thought of thy heart may be for- 
given thee." # The apostle seems to have stood in doubt 
whether the sorcerer had committed this sin or not. The 
epistle to the Hebrews abounds with warnings against it. 
"It is impossible for those who were once enlightened, 
and have tasted the heavenly gift, and were made par- 
takers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word 
of God and the powers of the world to come ; if they 
shall fall away to renew them again unto repentance, see- 
ing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh and 
put him to an open shame." t " For if we sin wilfully 
after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, 
there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain 
fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation 
which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised 
Moses' law died without mercy under two or three wit- 
nesses ; of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall 
he be thought worthy who hath trodden under foot the 
Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant 
wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing, and hath 
done despite unto the Spirit of Grace." % St. John speaks 
of the unpardonable sin as follows : " If any man see his 
brother sin a sin not unto death, he shall ask, and he 
shall give him life. There is a sin unto death ; I do not 
say that he shall pray for it." § 

There are commentators who attempt to eviscerate such 
declarations of all earnestness and terror, by softening or 
even reversing the meaning. They tell us that when our 
Lord and the apostles speak of an impossibility of pardon 



* Acts viii. 22. f Hebrews vi. 4, 5. 

I Hebrews x. 26-29. § I. John v. 16. 



HEALING THE DUMB DEMONIAC. 355 

and salvation in certain cases, they mean only to assert a 
great and almost insurmountable difficulty. But the lan- 
guage of Christ is too plain and unequivocal to render 
such a gloss tolerable; — "it shcdl not be forgiven him, 
neither in this world, neither in the world to come;" — or, 
as Mark had it, " he hath never forgiveness." Language 
could not be more definite and emphatic. From these 
passages then it is clear that there is a sin which is un- 
pardonable; not that either the power or mercy of God is 
limited, or that the atonement is insufficient, but there is 
a limitation dictated by sovereign wisdom and righteous- 
ness. There is one dread sin so unspeakably malignant, 
that the God of infinite love will not pardon it through all 
the ages of eternity. There is one sin which no blood of 
atonement shall ever wash away, which no act of mercy 
shall ever obliterate, which shall be to the miserable sin- 
ner a clinging, eating, blasting curse through the irre vo- 
luble cycles of a lost immortality. 

Our Lord's language also indicates the general direction 
of this sin. It is preeminently a sin against the Holy 
Ghost. All sin, indeed, is in some sense committed against 
all the persons of the Holy Trinity; but as there are 
some crimes immediately against men, so there are others 
committed immediately against the Father, others against 
the Son, and others still against the Holy Ghost. The 
most aggravated sin of all is that against the Holy Ghost. 
Sins against the Father and against the Son may be for- 
given ; but against the Holy Spirit — never. 

What, now, is this fearful sin ? It seems clear that it 
does not consist in any given act, but lies rather in the 
state of the heart. In the case of Simon Magus, the sin 
lay in the offer to purchase with money the power of im- 
parting the Holy Ghost; in the case of the persons re- 
ferred to in the Epistle to the Hebrews, in apostasy from 
the truth ; in the case of the Pharisees, it lay in their ma- 



356 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 






licious attributing of the miracles of Jesus to an unclean 
spirit. The Pharisees had seen the mighty works which 
Jesus wrought by the power of the Holy Ghost ; they had 
abundant evidence of the divine nature of His miracles. 
Yet they deliberately, and out of mere malice, charged 
Him with being instigated and enabled to do all this by 
the power of Satan. It is true, our Lord does not say in 
so many words that these blaspheming Pharisees had in 
this, committed the unpardonable sin ; but it is a necessary 
inference from His discourse. 

We may here then erect a way-mark ; so much ground 
has been gained; the sin against the Holy Ghost presup- 
poses light; involves a persistent opposition of will to what 
is good and true and holy; and hence consists in a mali- 
cious state of the heart. That the blaspheming words of 
the Pharisees were unpardonable only because they sprung 
from this maliciousness of heart, is clear from what our 
Lord says in the same connection. "Either make the 
tree good and his fruit good ; or else make the tree cor- 
rupt and his fruit corrupt ; for the tree is known by his 
fruit. 0, generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, 
speak good things? For out of the abundance of the 
heart, the mouth speaketh"* 

The language of Calvin on this point is highly instruct- 
ive : " I say then that the sin against the Holy Ghost is 
committed by those who, though they are so overpowered 
by the light of divine truth, that they cannot pretend 
ignorance, nevertheless resist it with determined malice, 
merely for the sake of resisting it. For Christ in expla- 
nation of what He had asserted, immediately subjoins, 
' Whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of Man, it 
shall be forgiven him; but whosoever speaketh a word 
against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him/ 



Matthew xii. 33, 34. 



HEALING THE DUMB DEMONIAC. 357 

How can any one cast a reproach on the Son, that is not 
directed against the Spirit? Those who unadvisedly offend 
against the truth of God, which they know not, and who 
ignorantly revile Christ, but at the same time have such 
a disposition that they would not extinguish the divine 
truth if revealed to them, or utter an injurious word 
against Him whom they know to be the Lord's Christ, — 
they sin against the Father and the Son. But those who 
are convinced in their conscience, that it is the word of 
God which they reject and oppose and yet continue their 
opposition, they are said to blaspheme against the Spirit, 
because they strive against the illumination which is the 
fruit of the Spirit." 

The following from the judicious Andrew Fuller is also 
in point : — " The peculiar circumstances under which any 
act becomes unpardonable, seem to be, the party being pos- 
sessed of a certain degree of light; and that not merely 
objective, as exhibited in the Gospel ; but subjective, as pos- 
sessed by the understanding. This light which is attribu- 
ted to the Holy Spirit, seems to afford the specific reason of 
the unpardonable sin being committed against Him. The 
distinction our Lord makes between blasphemy against 
the Son of man and against the Holy Spirit, declaring the 
one to be pardonable and the other to be unpardonable, 
seems to consist in this : the former, during His humilia- 
tion, might be the effect of ignorance and unbelief; but 
the latter, (imputing to Satanic influence those benevo- 
lent miracles which were not only wrought before their 
eyes by the Spirit of God, but which approved themselves 
to their consciences to be of God,) could be no other than 
wilful malignity. And this would be the case especially 
after the pouring out of the Spirit on the day of Pente- 
cost, when such a blaze of light shone forth in confirm- 
ation of the Gospel; a blasphemous opposition to it at 
that period would, when the light was not only exhibited 



358 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

but possessed by the understanding, be a black mark of 
reprobation." 

To this we add the following from an excellent German 
commentator : — " The Redeemer had to do with persons 
who recognized as their calling the occupation with divine 
things, and who had attained a certain degree of internal, 
i. e. moral development. The higher this was conceived 
to be, the more perilous became their position, if they, 
notwithstanding, gave themselves up to sin. A child is 
incapable of blasphemy, because it has no knowledge 
of God ; hence, it only talks at random, or utters words 
void of sense, because its internal nature is incapable of 
comprehending that which the words refer to. But the 
Pharisees, who bore within themselves the knowledge of 
divine things, and who, notwithstanding, derided and blas- 
phemed the miracles and teachings of Christ, were guilty 
of the highest possible wickedness." * 

It will be seen from the foregoing that there is nothing 
peculiarly mysterious in the unpardonable sin. All sin 
tends to a degree of turpitude which is unpardonable. 
Every man who acts against his conscience ; who does 
violence to the sacred convictions which are produced 
by the illuminating power of the Spirit, is on the high- 
way to the unspeakable crime which hath no forgiveness. 
By every wilful disregard of the light that is within him ; 
by every moment of persistency in the rejection of known 
truth ; by every act of resistance to the conscious claims of 
duty toward God, he brings himself nearer the final and 
fatal stage of reprobation. And when this course shall 
have been continued until the heart has attained a state 
of such insensibility to the truth, and malicious opposition 
to the Holy Spirit as its Divine Revealer, that repentance 
and pardon are alike impossible, the dreadful work will 



* Olshausen, in loco. 



HEALING OF TILE DUMB DEMONIAC. 359 

have been done. The unpardonable sin is thus com- 
mitted by every enlightened sinner, who persists in re- 
sisting the Holy Spirit until He takes His returnless de- 
parture. Those, then, are in the most imminent and ap- 
palling danger, who have enjoyed great light and have 
fallen into utter impiety and wickedness. 

It must not be supposed, however, that those who are 
sealed over to reprobation are always, or indeed com- 
monly, conscious of their state. For the comfort of ten- 
der-hearted offenders, it should be stated that, almost 
invariably, a deep anxiety lest one has committed the 
unpardonable sin is proof that he has not : such an anx- 
iety is incompatible with the state of heart just described. 
Commonly, those who have thus sinned are fool-hardy, 
defiant, scoffers at God and the Bible and sacred things. 
Eemorse generally does not begin to torture the doomed 
apostate, until, like Judas, he is about to go to his own 
place. He is hence likely to be the last man to feel any 
deep concern as to his spiritual condition or prospects. 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE MOTHER AND THE BRETHREN OF JESUS. 

TENDENCY AMONG THE DISCIPLES TO DEFECTION — FEELING OF THE RE- 
LATIONS OF JESUS — MARY — HIS " FRIENDS " READY TO CONFINE HIM 

AS A LUNATIC — THEY WAIT WITHOUT, DESIRING TO SPEAK WITH HIM 

WHO ARE REGARDED BY JESUS AS HIS TRUE RELATIVES — JESUS DINES 
WITH A PHARISEE — REPROVES THE PHARISEES AND LAWYERS. 

Matthew xn. 46-50. Mark m. 31-35. Luke Tin. 19-21 ; xi. 37-54. 

Jes us has reached a great crisis of His ministry. He has 
broken utterly with the powerful sect of Pharisees ; He 
has openly denounced and defied them ; He has exposed 
their hypocrisy and wickedness, and intimated that their 
sin is too aggravated to be forgiven ; He has become the 
object of their implacable rage and hatred. Their influ- 
ence with the people was almost unlimited ; nay, one is 
tempted to think that they were not without influence on 
the disciples themselves, and even on the family of Christ. 
It is evident that there was, at this time, a strong ten- 
dency to doubt and defection among those who had hith- 
erto faithfully adhered to Him. His own "friends'* or 
relatives, some of whom, at least, had professed them- 
selves disciples, yielded for a season to fear if not to un- 
belief. When they saw Him constantly surrounded with 
an excited multitude, when they witnessed His incessant 
labors which left Him no time for repose or for taking 
necessary food, when exaggerated reports were brought 
to them of His dreadful rebukes and denunciations of the 



CHRIST'S MOTHER AND BRETHREN. 361 

dominant sect, they began to fear that He was " beside 
Himself/' and to meditate confining Him as a lunatic. 
That Mary was a party to this scheme is incredible. 
She doubtless regarded her Son's career, and especially 
the perils to which He was exposed, with all a mother's 
solicitude ; but it was impossible for her to countenance 
any forcible interference, even to save His life. Could 
she forget the marvellous events which had occurred 
more than thirty years before ? No ; Mary did not for a 
moment believe that her Divine Son was " beside Him- 
self," though it is quite possible that her concern for His 
personal safety may have induced her to seek an oppor- 
tunity for expostulation touching His excessive and ex- 
hausting labors. 

Perhaps the purpose of our Lord's friends to lay hold 
upon Him and remove Him by force from the scene of 
His perilous labors, was not so unkind as the words of 
the evangelist might at first glance lead us to suppose. 
We know how Luther was spirited away, after his ap- 
pearance in the Diet at Worms, to the secure retreat of 
the Wartburg; and something similar may have been 
meditated by the brethren of Jesus. They may have 
thought, too, that Capernaum was no longer a promising 
field of labor ; and that the time had come for Him to 
seek a refuge and another audience in some other city; 
for we find them not long afterwards advising Him to go 
into Judea and up to Jerusalem. Whatever may have 
been their views or their intentions, while our Lord was 
talking to the people, word was brought to Him that His 
mother and His brethren were standing without, desiring 
to speak with Him. Knowing well that they sought to 
interfere with His great work, He was undisturbed by 
the message, but said, "Who is my mother? and who are 
my brethren? And he stretched forth His hand towards 
His disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my breth- 



362 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 






ren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father 
which is in Heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, 
and mother." 

These wonderful words contain abysses of meaning 
which we cannot fathom ; but we can feel what we do 
not fully understand. We cannot for a moment suppose 
that Jesus intended, in this utterance, to renounce nat- 
ural ties or disclaim natural affection. He cherished, 
even to the last pulsation of His heart, a tender love to 
His blessed mother, committing her with his dying breath 
to the care of "that disciple whom He loved." It is 
recorded that, after His resurrection, He appeared to 
James, one of His brothers* Though what occurred 
in that interview is unknown, we cannot but regard it as 
a proof of our Lord's attachment to one who had been 
His companion in the humble home at Nazareth. That 
He was wanting either in filial or fraternal affection can 
not be supposed without calling in question His moral 
perfection. Indeed, His language on this occasion implied 
that in Him those affections were peculiarly tender and 
strong ; otherwise, what force was there in the assurance 
which He gave His disciples, that He regarded them with 
a love such as He bore to His brother, sister, and mother? 
Doubtless He intended to say more than this. He de- 
clared that His disciples were His relatives in a truer and 
deeper sense than those who were such only after the 
flesh; that they were bound to Him by ties higher and 
more sacred than those of consanguinity ; that they were, 
in short, fellow-members with Him of a spiritual and im- 
mortal family — the household of a Father in heaven. 

Those who would discover a still deeper meaning in 
these words of Christ, may study the following extract 
from Stier:f — "Are we to take in this sense not merely 



I. Corinthians xv. 7. f Words of the Lord Jesus, vol. 2, p. 183. 



Christ's mothee and brethren. 363 

brothers and sisters, but also mother, as it stands at the be- 
ginning, and again with the highest emphasis at the end of 
the address ? By all means. Whosoever receives Christ 
has in heart conceived and borne Him, is himself a Mary ; 
as also Mary only thereby became and continues to be 
His mother. The congregation of all the brethren is col- 
lectively the true Mary, a presentiment of which pro- 
found truth forms the concealed ground of the Mariolatry 
of that church which exalts itself above Christ." 

With what feelings the mother and brethren of Jesus 
met the repulse, and the tacit rebuke which He gave 
them, we are left to conjecture. They doubtless retired 
to their own home wiser than when they came. Jesus 
did not join them at the mid-day meal, but accepted the 
invitation of a Pharisee, whose house was probably at 
hand, to dine with him. The fact that this hospitable in- 
vitation came from a Pharisee, and that immediately after 
the terrible discourse already considered, is not a little 
surprising. But it is evident from what followed that the 
invitation was prompted by anything rather than by kind- 
ness. It was apparently the plan of these sectaries, now 
that He had denounced them in language so severe, to 
provoke Him to still more sweeping denunciations, in the 
hope that the rumor already started by them that He was 
a demoniac or a lunatic would be confirmed, and gain 
credence with the multitude. 

Jesus without hesitation entered the Pharisee's house ; 
for while as yet He feared no personal violence, it was 
His purpose to reprove, both by word and deed, the super- 
stitious principles and customs of the sect. Accordingly 
He at once sat down at the table, without having washed 
His hands. As this was regarded by the Pharisees as an 
essential religious prerequisite to a formal meal, the 
omission on the part of Jesus struck His host with aston- 
ishment which he took no trouble to disguise. Doubtless 



364 THE LIFE OE CHEIST. 

he "marvelled" aloud in a discourteous manner, "And the 
Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the 
outside of the cup and the platter ; but your inward part 
is full of ravening and wickedness. Ye fools, did not He 
that made that which is without, make that which is 
within also ? But rather give alms of such things as ye 
have; and behold all things are clean unto you. But 
woe unto you, Pharisees ! for ye tithe mint and rue and 
all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love 
of God : these ought ye to have done, and not to leave 
the other undone. Woe unto you, Pharisees ! for ye love 
the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in 
the markets. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypo- 
crites ! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men 
that walk over them, are not aware of them." 

When the scribes were thus joined with the Pharisees 
in this rebuke, a member of that body, called by the evan- 
gelist a lawyer, said to Jesus, u Master, thus saying Thou 
reproachest us also." Whether this man really wished to 
be distinguished from the Pharisees, and exempted from 
the woe pronounced upon them, or whether it was his 
purpose to "tempt" our Lord, is uncertain. In either 
case, the reply which his remark elicited must have fallen 
upon his ears like a clap of thunder : — " Woe unto you 
also, ye lawyers ; for ye lade men with burdens grievous 
to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens 
with one of your fingers. Woe unto you ! for ye build 
the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed 
them. Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds 
of your fathers ; for they indeed killed them, and ye build 
their sepulchres. Therefore also said the wisdom of God, 
I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them 
they shall slay and persecute ; that the blood of all the 
prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world, 
may be required of this generation ; from the blood of 



cheist's mother and brethren. 365 

Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between 
the altar and the temple ; verily I say unto you, It shall 
be required of this generation. "Woe unto you, lawyers ! 
for ye have taken away the key of knowledge ; ye en- 
tered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in 
ye hindered." 

It does not appear that any of the disciples were pres- 
ent at this conversation. Jesus was alone among His 
enemies, who attempted to provoke Him to some utter- 
ance which they might make the ground of a definite 
accusation. But their purpose was thwarted by His in- 
fallible insight and wisdom. His words were darts which 
struck to the heart and remained fixed in the wound. 
His rebukes were written in lines of fire on the flesh of 
the hypocrite. Thus a God alone can kill. Socrates but 
grazed the skin ; Jesus carried fire and anguish into the 
marrow of the bones* 

* Kenan, page 285, 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE GREAT TEACHER. 

JESUS GOES TO THE SEA-SIDE AND TEACHES THE PEOPLE FROM A SHIP — 
WHY BY PARABLES — THE CYCLE OF PARABLES TOUCHING THE ORIGIN, 
GROWTH, AND CONSUMMATION OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 

Matthew xm. 1-52. Mark iv. 1-34. Luke vm. 4-18. 

Our Lord wasted no time over the noonday meal. 
Knowing how great a multitude awaited His coming 
forth, He soon withdraws from the Pharisee's house and 
goes to the sea-side, where He enters into a ship, and sits 
down to teach the people. The Sea of Galilee sleeps 
under a cloudless sky, unvexed by the winds which so 
often lash its crystal waters into fury. Jesus sees before 
Him the Eden-like vale of Gennesaret, with its smiling 
villages, its gardens and vineyards and olive groves, all 
shut in by lofty hills. There is an immense concourse 
of people, who crowd to the water's edge, eager to catch 
every look and word of the Great Teacher. There is a 
solemn hush of souls ; all stand still and expectant, gaz- 
ing on the saintly form in the boat. Jesus opens His 
mouth in parables : 

"Behold, a sower went forth to sow. And when He 
sowed, some seeds fell by the way-side, and the fowls came 
and devoured them up. Some fell upon stony places, 
where they had not much earth; and forthwith they 
sprang up because they had no deepness of earth ; and 
when the sun was up they were scorched ; and because 



THE GREAT TEACHER. 367 

they had no root, they withered away. And some fell 
among thorns ; and the thorns sprang np and choked 
them. But other fell on good ground, and brought forth 
fruit, some an hundred fold, some sixty fold, some thirty 
fold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear." 

The people know that something weighty and wonder- 
ful has been said ; but even the disciples can not at once 
penetrate the inner meaning of the parable. We seem 
to see Peter and Andrew, James and John, and many 
others in eager conversation, and we seem to overhear 
the words, " What can He mean ! We know what it is 
to sow : in yonder field is a man even now scattering the 
precious seed ; but the Master intends to set forth some- 
thing spiritual. Who is meant by the sower ? What is 
represented by the seed? What by the different kinds 
of soil? What by the harvest? We cannot tell what 
He means ; let us ask Him in private." 

But the same thrilling voice again hushes the multi- 
tude to breathless silence : 

"The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which 
sowed good seed in his field ; but while men slept, his 
enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went 
his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought 
forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants 
of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou 
not sow good seed in thy field ? from whence then hath 
it tares ? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. 
The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go 
and gather them up ? But he said, Nay ; lest while ye 
gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 
Let both grow together until the harvest; and in the 
time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye to- 
gether first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn 
them ; but gather the wheat into my barn." 

Again, we cannot but picture to ourselves the people as 



368 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

filled with wonder and perplexity. They knew the differ- 
ence between wheat and tares : the malicious act of the 
"enemy," stealing into his neighbor's field while it was 
yet dark, and sowing it with darnel, was one which they 
could appreciate ; the expediency of letting both wheat 
and darnel grow together until the harvest was sufficiently 
obvious ; but what it all meant as a religious lesson they 
could not understand. They therefore determined to seek 
an explanation of this parable also, after the close of the 
public discourse. They doubtless saw that both parables 
turned on something spiritual represented by the seed, 
which though dry and lifeless in appearance contained a 
living germ, capable, under the requisite conditions, of 
being developed into a fruitful plant ; but just what was 
meant by the wheat, and what by the darnel, they could 
only conjecture. Neither was their curiosity satisfied by 
the next parable, which also turned on the growth of 
seed: 

" So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast 
seed into the ground; and should sleep and rise night 
and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he 
knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of 
herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full 
corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, 
immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest 
is come." 

The kingdom of God, then, the more enlightened hear- 
ers say to themselves, is to grow secretly, silently, grad- 
ually, from small beginnings. 

Again the Divine Preacher speaks : 

" The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard 
seed, which a man took and sowed in his field ; which in- 
deed is the least of all seeds ; but when it is grown it is 
the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the 
birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof." 



THE GREAT TEACHER. , 369 

"Truly," say the disciples, "this parable needs no in- 
terpretation. Does not the grain of mustard seed repre- 
sent the present smallness and feebleness of the kingdom 
of God; and does not its growth into a spreading tree 
signify the future progress and final greatness of that 
kingdom ? " 

But hark again, to the voice of the Teacher : 

u The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a 
woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the 
whole was leavened." 

Having spoken these four parables, Jesus dismissed the 
multitude. The golden light of an autumnal sunset in- 
vested the lake, the valley and the mountains, with a 
mellow glory ; and the people, as they went to their own 
homes, still heard the sweet and solemn tones of that 
divine voice, and mused on the wonderful things they had 
heard. Jesus and His immediate disciples retired to a 
neighboring house. As soon as they were alone, the dis- 
ciples came to Him and said, " Why speakest Thou unto 
them in parables ?"* — a very natural question. Our 
Lord's answer displays His matchless wisdom as a Teacher : 
"Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of 
the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For 
whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have 
more abundance : but whosoever hath not, from him shall 
be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to 
them in parables ; because they, seeing see not and hear- 
ing they hear not ; neither do they understand. And in 
them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, By hearing ye 
shall hear, and shall not understand ; and seeing ye shall 
see, and shall not perceive ; for this people's heart is 
waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their 

* That the disciples sought an explanation of both the parables — that of 
the Sower and that of the Tares — after the public discourse was ended, 
seems most probable. 
24 



370 . THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

eyes they have closed, lest at any time they should see 
with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should un- 
derstand with their heart, and should be converted, and I 
should heal them." 

Thus our Lord declares the principle which determined 
the form of His teaching. Those who were of prepared 
and susceptible minds should receive the truth in plain 
and unambiguous language ; while those who were proud, 
obstinate and prejudiced, should be plied with dim hints 
and suggestions conveyed in symbols, for thus even some 
of them might be awakened to earnest inquiry ; whereas, 
if the truth were declared to them in direct, didactic terms, 
they would at once and finally reject it. Blessed, indeed, 
were the disciples above the prophets and righteous men 
of old, in the privilege they now enjoyed of seeing with 
their own eyes the Divine Teacher, and seeking instruc- 
tion at His lips. This privilege they now improved by 
asking an explanation of the parable of the sower of the 
seed. Our Lord's answer is worthy of careful study; it 
is one of the two interpretations of His own parables 
which have been left on record for our guidance. 

" The sower soweth the word. When any one heareth 
the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then 
cometh the wicked one and catcheth away that which was 
sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the 
way-side. But he that received the seed into stony places, 
the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy 
receiveth it : yet hath he no root in himself, but dureth 
for a while ; for when tribulation or persecution ariseth 
because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also 
that received seed among thorns is he that heareth the 
word ; and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness 
of riches, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. 
But he that received seed into good ground is he that 
heareth the word and understandeth it ; which also bear- 



THE GEE AT TEACHER. 371 

etb fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundred fold, some 
sixty, and some thirty." 

In this parable, Jesus having spoken of the word as 
seed and, by implication, having compared the human 
mind to soil, divides the hearers of the word into three 
classes; first, the totally unsusceptible, represented by 
the hard and beaten highways where the seed does not 
penetrate the earth at all ; secondly, the partially suscep- 
tible, represented by the stony places, in which the seed 
springs up quickly, but for lack of earth and moisture 
withers as soon, and also by the ground overgrown with 
thorns, in which the seed germinates and takes root but is 
stifled by the thorns which spring up with it; and thirdly, 
the good and fruitful hearers, represented by the deep, 
fertile, and well cultivated soil, which brings forth in due 
season an abundant harvest* 

Milton has said that books are not absolutely dead 
things but have a power and progeny of life in them. 
Much more truly may this be said of the word of God, 
which is living and powerful, and is the instrument by 
which dead souls are new-begotten by the will of God. 
But the word must first gain an entrance ; it must pene- 
trate the understanding and the heart; it must be hon- 
estly received by attentive hearing and sincere belief; it 
must be remembered and pondered and applied to prac- 
tice. When it thus falls into good ground it will produce 
a plentiful harvest. 

Having thus expounded the parable, Jesus reminded 
the disciples that they were thus enlightened that they 
might give light to others : "Is a candle brought to 
be put under a bushel, or under a bed, and not on a can- 
dlestick ? For there is nothing hid which shall not be 
manifested ; neither was anything kept secret but it 

*Neander's "Life of Christ," pp. 188, 189. 



ot 



72 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 



should come abroad. If any man have ears to hear, let 
him hear. Take heed what ye hear ; with what measure 
ye mete it shall be measured to you ; and unto you that 
hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall 
be given ; and he that hath not, from him shall be taken 
even that which he hath." 

The disciples were encouraged by these words to ask 
an explanation of the parable of the tares of the field. 
Jesus answered and said unto them : " He that soweth the 
good seed is the Son of Man ; the field is the world ; the 
good seed are the children of the kingdom ; but the tares 
are the children of the devil ; the harvest is the end of 
the world, and the reapers are the angels. As therefore 
the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it 
be in the end of this world. The Son of Man shall send 
forth His angels, and shall gather out of His kingdom all 
things that offend, and them which do iniquity, and shall 
cast them into a furnace of fire ; there shall be weeping 
and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine 
forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who 
hath ears to hear, let him hear." 

It is remarkable that in this parable, the good seed, the 
word of God, has become regenerate persons ; and on the 
contrary, the evil seed, which must mean error or false- 
hood, appears as the children of the wicked one. These two 
classes represent the principles which have moulded their 
respective characters. "The new man," says Luther, "is, 
as it were, nothing but the Word of God." So the chil- 
dren of the devil are nothing but a lie — a living denial 
of God's truth. ■ 

Our Lord's doctrine of the last things as here declared, 
is as full and clear as that which was set forth in His later 
discourses. That good and evil, truth and falsehood, the 
righteous and the wicked, should be intermingled in His 
kingdom till the time of His second coming, and the 



THE GREAT TEACHER. 373 

end of this world, is plainly foretold. And this prophetic 
utterance stands as a rebuke and warning against all who, 
under pretence of purifying the church, arrogate to them- 
selves judicial functions, and anticipate the unerring dis- 
crimination which, at the last day, shall be made between 
the righteous and the wicked. "Let both grow together 
until the harvest," is a maxim which must be applied with 
signal caution ; but it is one of incalculable importance. 

Jesus having thus answered the questions of the dis- 
ciples, added the following brief but striking parables 
which were so plain that they needed no explanation : 

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure 
hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he 
hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he 
hath and buyeth that field. 

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant- 
man seeking goodly pearls ; who, when he had found one 
pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and 
bought it. 

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, which 
was cast into the sea and gathered of every kind ; which, 
when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and 
gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. 
So shall it be at the end of the world ; the angels shall 
come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, 
and shall cast them into the furnace of fire ; there shall 
be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 

Thus closed this wonderful discourse. Anxious to re- 
move all doubt and obscurity from the minds of the dis- 
ciples, He said to them, " Have ye understood all these 
things V They replied, " Yea, Lord. Then said He unto 
them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed into the 
kingdom of heaven, is like unto a man that is a house- 
holder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things 
new and old." 



CHAPTER IX. 
JESUS STILLS THE TEMPEST AND HEALS THE DEMONIAC. 

JESUS AND THE DISCIPLES CROSS THE LAKE — HE SLEEPS AXD THE TEM- 
PEST RISES THE DISCIPLES CALL TO HIM EOR HELP HE STILLS THE 

TEMPEST — JESUS LANDS AND MEETS A DEMONIAC — HIS FEARFUL CON- 
DITION — JESUS ORDERS THE DEMON TO COME OUT OF THE MAN THE 

DEMONIAC IS RESTORED TO HIS RIGHT MIND — THE GADARENES AND 

THEIR REQUEST JESUS DISMISSES THE DEMONIAC TO HIS HOME HE 

PUBLISHES THE MIRACLE ABROAD THE MIRACLE MORE EASILY RIDI- 
CULED THAN DISPROVED — THIS, AND OUR LORD'S OTHER MIGHTY 
WORKS, DEMONSTRATE HIS UNIVERSAL DOMINION. 

When the day was well nigh spent our Lord directed 
His disciples to pass over to the other side of the lake. 
After they had dismissed the multitude, they launched 
out in the ship from which the Saviour had preached, fol- 
lowed by several other little boats. Exhausted by the 
labors of the day, our Lord retired to the stern of the 
boat to catch a few moments of rest during the passage 
to the opposite shore, some five or six miles distant. We 
can almost see Him there, " asleep on a pillow," while the 
little vessel glides over the glassy waters. How different 
from the sleep of Jonah ! He slept in mere apathy, his 
conscience paralyzed by sin. The sleep of Jesus is siuless 
and heavenly. But while there is the peace of God brood- 
ing over that Sleeper, there is elemental strife in the natu- 
ral world. A tempest suddenly rushes down through the 
deep gorges of the hills which wall in the lake, and in a 
moment the waters are lashed into fury ; the waves break 
in foam over the little boat, which seems about to be swal- 



THE TE3IPEST STILLED : THE DEMONIAC HEALED. 375 

lowed up. The disciples, though accustomed to the sudden 
storms for which this lake has ever been noted, are in the 
utmost alarm ; for it seems impossible for their little craft 
to live through the gale. They hope every moment that 
their Master will awake ; but no ; amidst the crash and 
tumult of the tempest He sleeps on, "calm and unappalled 
in sinless peace." At last, when the danger waxes immi- 
nent, and there seems but a step between them and death, 
they run to Him in haste and terror, crying : " Master, 
Master, Carest thcu not that we perish." # 

Calmly He rises from His pillow, looks out upon the 
raging sea, and says : " Peace, be still." Will the winds 
and waves obey Him ? They have already obeyed. In 
a moment the howling winds are still, the mad, leaping 
waves crouch under the word of power, and disappear ; 
and the lake lies there in the purple evening, like a sea 
of glass mingled with fire. For there was a "great calm." 
Having thus restored the elements to peace, our Lord 
turns to His disciples, and reproves them for their want 
of faith: "Where is your faith?" Their faith had proved 
in this trial like " a weapon which a soldier has, but yet 
has mislaid and can not lay hold of in the moment of ex- 
tremest need. What He rebuked was, not their appeal 
to Him for help, but the excess of their terror in counting 
it possible for the ship which bore their Lord to perish ! " f 

It ought to be noted, in passing, that the words " Peace, 
be still," can not be regarded as a mere rhetorical figure, 
addressed to the unconscious elements ; but there is rather 
a distinct recognition of Satan and the powers of evil, as 
the authors of the discord in the outward world ; a tracing 
up of all these disorders to their source in the Potentate 
of Evil, that old serpent, the Devil. The manner of the 
disciples is clearly indicative of this ; for they appear from 

*Mark iv. 38. f Trench. 



376 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

their language to have been especially affected by the ap- 
pearance of Jesus as He issued the sublime command. 
There was probably in His look an appearance of pene- 
trating into the invisible; and in His manner, the in- 
dications of a profound consciousness of the immediate 
presence of a powerful personality, malignantly disposed 
to rebel against His commands. No wonder, then, that 
the men who were in the boat "feared exceedingly, and 
said, one to another, What manner of man is this, that 
even the winds and the sea obey Him." # 

The vessel had now reached the eastern shore, not far 
from the city of Gadara, which gives its name to the sur- 
rounding region. Hardly had Jesus landed, when a wild 
and haggard form was seen running towards Him. The 
man, if such a creature can be called a man, was entirely 
destitute of clothing ; his hair and beard were matted and 
filthy, his flesh was covered with wounds and scars, his 
eyes red and glaring, and his whole appearance that of a 
hopeless, raving maniac. And such, indeed, he was. He 
had long been the terror of the neighborhood ; for he had 
forsaken the habitations of the living and taken up his 
dwelling in a cemetery hard by, where he might be heard 
among the tombs, night and day, shrieking and moaning, 
meanwhile giving vent to his misery by cutting himself 
with stones and in other ways lacerating his flesh. His 
friends had often tried to confine him, but even chains 
and fetters had proved as wisps of straw to his super- 
human strength. Few were bold enough to pass by the 
cemetery where he dwelt; his horrible cries made the 
blood curdle ; and when his madness was at its height, it 
was dangerous to come into the vicinity. 

This miserable creature was no common maniac. He 
belonged to that unhappy class, so numerous in that age, 



* Mark iv. 41 



THE TEMPEST STILLED : THE DEMONIAC HEALED. 377 

called demoniacs; he had long been under the despotic 
power of evil spirits ; his reason was dethroned, his will 
directed by an irresistible agency not his own ; his self- 
consciousness had been partially blotted out, or at least, 
disturbed, so that he seemed to himself to have many 
personalities ; and his animal life was in some mysterious 
manner blended with the foul life of unclean demons. 

Yet his self-consciousness often revived ; he sometimes 
felt his utter ruin and misery, and longed for deliverance. 
At one of these lucid moments seeing Jesus stepping out 
of the boat, he at once recognized Him, by that strange 
clairvoyant power which these beings generally possessed, 
as the Son of God. He was smitten with awe, and per- 
haps at that moment a gleam of hope broke upon his dark 
mind. Something, it may be, whispered to his soul " the 
Deliverer has come ; " — for he did not run from the Sav- 
iour but towards Him. And when he came nigh he wor- 
shiped Him. This, I suppose, was the demoniac's own act, 
It was at this moment, probably, that our Lord, seeing the 
wretched creature at His feet, said to the demon, " Come 
out of the man, thou unclean spirit." But the spirit did 
not immediately obey ; — perhaps a sudden and violent ex- 
pulsion would have been dangerous to the poor victim, — 
but answered, a I adjure thee by God that thou torment 
me not." " What is thy name ? " u My name is Legion, 
for we are many." 

The demons, finding that their ejection was inevitable, 
dreading to be thrust into the abyss, their own proper 
world, and yearning after a corporeal life however gross, 
besought the Saviour to permit them to enter into a herd 
of swine, which happened to be feeding on the plain. 
Jesus, willing to give the demoniac a sensible evidence 
of his complete and permanent cure, and intending per- 
haps at once to punish the evil spirits and the owners of 
the swine, who kept them contrary to the law, gave the 



378 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

desired permission. The unclean spirits then went out 
of the man and entered into the herd of swine. The 
effect was instantaneous. The brutes, affrighted by new 
and terrible sensations breaking down into their low, dim 
circle of animal consciousness, scoured madlj over the 
plain and rushed down a precipice into the lake, where 
they all, to the number of two thousand, perished in the 
waters. That the demons foresaw this result is not at all 
probable ; but we rather believe that the granting of their 
request was the very means of bringing upon them the 
thing they dreaded, namely, banishment into the abyss. 
There doubtless they are kept, under chains of darkness, 
unto the judgment of the great day. 

But how does it fare all this time with the demoniac ? 
He is a demoniac no longer. In his soul, so long vexed 
with dire tempests, there is a great calm. He has come 
to himself. The light of reason beams once more in his 
eyes. He seems to have immediately sought for clothing 
wherewith to cover his nakedness. And now, clothed 
and in his right mind, w^here, think you, did he sit down ? 
Where but at the feet of Jesus ? He seems to have said 
little ; but his looks were doubtless eloquent. What a 
steadfast gaze he fastened on his Deliverer ! What tears 
of love and gratitude bedewed his cheeks ? How he hung 
upon the lips of the Saviour ! The healing power had 
penetrated his inmost soul; he was delivered from the 
tyranny and madness of sin; the peace of forgiveness en- 
tered dove-like into his conscience there to abide forever. 

But he did not long enjoy the blessedness of sitting at 
his Deliverer's feet ; a multitude of people, drawn by the 
report of the swine-herds, nocked out of the city and the 
neighboring country, to the place. When they saw the 
demoniac, whom they had all known, sitting at the feet 
of Jesus, decently clothed and in his right mind, they 
were not grateful for the salvation thus brought to 



THE TEMPEST STILLED : THE DEMONIAC HEALED. 379 

their suffering neighbor, — no, they were afraid for them- 
selves and their selfish interests. The presence of such a 
Being as Jesus was terrible : they shrank from God man- 
ifest in the flesh. They feared also, that the destruction 
of the swine was the precursor of other losses. So they 
prayed our Lord to depart out of their coasts. Such 
prayer He is wont to answer. He immediately returned 
to the ship. 

As He was about to step on board, the man who had 
been healed, prompted by love and, it may be, by the fear 
of a relapse into his fearful malady, begged the privi- 
lege of being allowed to follow his Benefactor. But no ; 
Jesus has work for him to do ; and work is what the man 
needs to perpetuate his cure. "Return- to thine own 
house and to thy friends, and tell them how great things 
the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion 
on thee." # The man had, then, a home and friends. 
During all the time of his madness, a father and mother, 
wife and children, may have been mourning for him as 
worse than dead. And yet if ever he visited that home, 
all fled from him in terror. But all this is past. Not so 
do they now receive him. When they see him coming, 
not naked, filthy, bleeding and with maniac bowlings ; 
but clothed and cleanly, with reason once more speaking 
in every look and action, and with words of love and 
greeting upon his lips, what surprise and gladness filled 
their hearts ; and as he recounts what Jesus has done for 
him, there is not only gladness but gratitude in that house. 

And not only there. There was wonder throughout the 
whole region, as he published everywhere the mighty 
miracle which he had experienced. We can not doubt 
that that miracle was his great theme ever after. He 
never forgot it till his heart stopped beating ; nay, he did 



*Luke viii. 39. Mark v. 19. 



380 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

not forget it then ; he has not forgotten it yet. It is per- 
haps now his most blessed employment to recount to 
every new-comer in heaven what great things the Lord 
did for him, that memorable evening on the Gadarene 
shore. 

This particular miracle has been seized upon by infi- 
dels as especially vulnerable. It has been made the ob- 
ject of unsparing ridicule. That there should be such a 
thing as demoniacal possession; that men should be dis- 
possessed by the word of Jesus ; that the devils should 
be sent into the herd of swine; — all this is treated as 
matter of endless mirth. It is the natural result of a dis- 
belief in the supernatural. The moment the existence 
of the supernatural is granted, w T hile all these facts may 
continue inexplicable, they are no longer incredible ; nay, 
they are the more credible because inexplicable. Now, 
this disbelief in the supernatural is not the normal condi- 
tion of the human mind. It is the simple growth of that 
modern infidelity, from which the world is just awak- 
ing as from a nightmare dream. All history and all ob- 
servation show that a belief in the existence and influ- 
ence of the supernatural bears every mark of being a 
universal, — we had almost said a necessary, — instinct in 
the human mind. It is then for the infidel, not to scout 
its attendant facts, but dispassionately and conclusively 
to prove the fallacy of the universal instinct. Yet this 
is not a thing easy to be done. How is the skeptic to 
prove that supernatural beings have no power over men, 
or even over brutes ? The most that he can do is to pro- 
test his inability to see how it can be. But this is no 
proof; or if it be, it will disprove a hundred things which 
the skeptic himself fully accepts as facts. 

Passing from this, however, and looking back on the 
miracle as such, one reflection can not but strike every 
candid mind with great force, How absolute is the power 



THE TEMPEST STILLED : THE DEMONIAC HEALED. 381 

and how vast the dominion of the Lord Jesus Christ! 
We have seen that the material elements were subject to 
His will : the winds and the seas obeyed Him : the brute 
creation recognized His authority : infirmity and disease 
were subject to His command : now, even the spirits or 
powers of the supernatural world own His supremacy. 
Well considered, all this appears a demonstration that, 
though we see Jesus passing from place to place as a man 
among men ; subject to weariness, hunger, and other sin- 
less weaknesses of human nature, yet He is absolute Lord 
of the universe : He is the woed of god, by whom all 
things were made, and who upholds all things by the word 
of His power. 

Especially interesting is the thought, that, varied and 
vast as is this sovereign authority of Jesus, it is His great 
mission as Eedeemer to exercise it in the behalf of sin- 
sick, suffering humanity. So while on earth did He ex- 
ercise it. When He turned the water into wine ; when 
He gathered the fishes into the net of the disciples ; when 
He fed the famished multitude ; when He restored the 
impotent man ; when He hushed the tempest ; when He 
gave sight to the blind; when He cleansed the leper; 
when He cast out evil spirits ; when He snatched the 
dying from the grasp of death ; when He burst open the 
portals of the tomb, and brought back the much lamented 
object of affection to the embraces of weeping friends ; — 
all was for man's relief and blessing. And benign and 
wonderful as was this gracious exercise of His sovereignty, 
it was all only the foreshadowing of the higher manifesta- 
tion of His eternal power and God-head, in saving His 
people from their sins. He who had this power over all 
things, has also power to forgive sins ; to save to the 
uttermost those that are lost. 



CHAPTEE X. 

JESUS AT MATTHEW'S FEAST. 

JESUS RETURNS TO CAPERNAUM — HE IS FAVORABLY RECEIVED BY THE 

MULTITUDE HE IS INVITED BY MATTHEW TO A FEAST HE ATTENDS 

IT — THE PHARISEES TAKE OFFENCE — OUR LORD'S DEFENCE — JOHN'S 
DISCIPLES QUESTION HIM ABOUT FASTING. 

Haying met with so unfavorable a reception among 
the Gadarenes, as to render the further prosecution of 
His work among them difficult if not impracticable, our 
Lord, as we have seen, withdrew from their territory, and 
returned across the lake towards Capernaum. When He 
reached the shore He found the multitude awaiting Him. 
They had seen Him cross over the lake not many hours 
before ; and it would seem, expecting His speedy return, 
had not yet left the place at which He had embarked. 
As He landed, a very different reception was given Him, 
from that met with among the Gadarene swine-dealers. 
The people received Him gladly. Some doubtless were 
waiting in expectation of being healed. Others, though 
we can hardly think their number was large, may have 
gained some glimpses of His true character, and were 
drawn to Him by secret love and confidence. The greater 
portion were, however, actuated by mere curiosity to be- 
hold His miracles. Possibly this feeling had received a 
new stimulus from the reports of the wonderful events 
which had taken place, on the opposite shore of the lake, 
and which had been brought thence by some who had 



JESUS AT MATTHEW'S FEAST. 383 

been in the " little boats " that had accompanied the one 
that carried Jesus thither. Attended by the multitude 
He returned to Capernaum, thus completing His fourth 
circuit in Galilee. 

Soon after His return, Levi, who had been called a 
short time before, gave a feast to Jesus in his own house, 
to which he invited a great company of publicans and 
others. He was probably actuated by a desire to do 
honor to his new Master; perhaps, also, he sought to 
give Him a favorable opportunity of preaching to others 
of his own despised class. The occasion seems to have 
been one of no inconsiderable importance, and would 
seem to indicate the host to have been a man of no in- 
ferior rank. Into the festivities of the occasion, our Lord 
appears to have entered with His accustomed condescen- 
sion and cordiality. He doubtless fully appreciated the 
friendly designs of His new disciple. Possibly, also, it 
was His purpose to show the proud and exclusive Phari- 
sees that He was no respecter of persons, and that He 
looked upon their high claim to superior sanctity and 
privilege, with displeasure. 

As might have been expected, the members of this ar- 
rogant sect were greatly incensed at the whole proceed- 
ing. At the first opportunity they broke out in open 
complaint and censure. "Why," said they to His dis- 
ciples, (they were, as yet, too much in fear of Jesus to 
rebuke Him directly) ; " Why do ye eat and drink with 
publicans and sinners?"* This was to say, "Why does 
your Master, who claims to be so holy, defile Himself 
by associating with these outcasts ? Why, if He is the 
Messiah, the King of Israel, does He thus countenance 
and honor the hirelings of this tyrannical heathen gov- 
ernment, that domineers over us the chosen people." 

*Luke v. 30. 



384 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

Understanding the question to be, — as it was, — a virtual 
attack upon Himself, our Lord met it promptly and fear- 
lessly. " They that are whole," said He, u need not a phy- 
sician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the 
righteous, but sinners to repentance." # " You, who pride 
yourselves upon being teachers in Israel," said He, " show 
yourselves utterly ignorant both of the great objects of 
religion, and of the predicted character and mission of 
the Messiah. Your cold-blooded self-righteousness has 
blinded you to all the benign and merciful intentions and 
plans of God with reference to His lost and ruined crea- 
tures. If you need no physician, no salvation, why can 
you not be content that hope and help should be brought 
within reach of those who, according to your own admis- 
sion, are so needy, the more especially as it neither de- 
tracts from your advantages nor draws upon your pity or 
effort?" 

Soon after this feast, which may have led to the occur- 
rence, some disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus 
and said, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy 
disciples fast not?"f The question indicates that they 
had already passed into a narrow and rigid formalism. 
Indeed, the very fact that they still called themselves 
John's disciples, keeping aloof from Jesus, was a proof 
that they were incapable of entering into the free king- 
dom of God. " We and the Pharisees " was a sectarian 
phrase, which no true disciple of Christ could have uttered. 
Our Lord, however, deals with these narrow-minded ques- 
tioners very gently, not reproving them for their illiberal 
prejudice and unbelief, but endeavoring to raise them up 
to a higher plane of thought and experience : " Can the 
children of the bride-chamber fast, while the bridegroom 

*Luke v. 31, 32. 

t Matthew ix. 14-17. Mark ii. 18-23. Luke v. 33-39. 



JESUS AT MATTHEW'S FEAST. 385 

is with them ? As long as they have the bridegroom with 
them, they can not fast. But the days will come when 
the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, an oT then 
shall they fast in those days." We can not but conjecture 
that these disciples of John were among those who heard 
the last testimony of their now imprisoned master. " He 
that hath the bride is the bridegroom ; but the friend of 
the bridegroom, which jstandeth and heareth him, rejoiceth 
greatly because of the bridegroom's voice : this my joy 
therefore is fulfilled."*" Jesus plainly refers to these 
words of His forerunner; He says, in effect, "Did you 
not hear your master declare that I am the Bridegroom ? 
How can my friends, those who have the care of the bride- 
chamber, mourn while I am with them? After my de- 
parture they will indeed mourn, and then they will natu- 
rally fast. But now, fasting would evince a lack of loving 
joy in my personal presence." Fasting, then, should not 
be a matter of law and ceremony, but should express real 
grief for the absence of the Divine Bridegroom, and long- 
ing for His return. In these days, while the Bride is 
piercing the heavens with the cry, " Come, Lord Jesus, 
come quickly ! " the children of the bride-chamber may 
well fast. 

Our Lord, continuing His discourse, next shows that set 
and frequent fasting by His disciples would, at that time, 
be incongruous with the new dispensation which He came 
to introduce. " No man also seweth a piece of new cloth 
on an old garment ; else the new piece that filled it up 
taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. 
And no man putteth new wine into old bottles ; else the 
new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, 
and the bottles will be marred; but new wine must be 
put into new bottles and both are preserved." The old 



*John iii. 29. 
25 



386 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

covenant, with its institutions and forms, was like an old 
garment, not to be mended, but laid aside. Or it was 
like a well worn leathern bottle which can not resist the 
expansive action of new fermenting wine. The new 
wine of Christ shatters the old ceremonialism, refuses to 
be contained in the ancient forms, requires fresh and ap- 
propriate rites and ordinances, and demands a free, regen- 
erate, living church in which to mature, by ceaseless 
energy, its heavenly virtue. 



CHAPTER XI. 

JESUS RAISES THE DAUGHTER OF JAIRUS. 

JAIRUS COMES TO JESUS — HIS PETITION — THE WOMAN WITH THE ISSUE 
OF BLOOD — JAIRUS APPRISED OF HIS DAUGHTER'S DEATH — JESUS PRO- 
CEEDS TO HIS HOUSE — EXCLUDING THE MULTITUDE, HE ENTERS THE 
DEATH-CHAMBER — HE RESTORES THE DAMSEL TO LIFE — HE WITHDRAWS 
FROM THE HOUSE — TWO BLIND MEN FOLLOW HIM TO HIS ABODE — HE 
HEALS THEM — THEY SPREAD ABROAD THE STORY OF THEIR CURE — HE 
HEALS THE BLIND AND DUMB DEMONIAC. 

While our Lord was thus conversing with the disciples 
of John, a man, evidently of rank, was seen hastily making 
his way through the crowd, with every mark of extreme 
agitation and concern on his face. He was recognized by 
the multitude as Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, — proba- 
bly of that at Capernaum. They respectfully made room 
for him to approach Jesus. Whatever may have been his 
previous bearing toward Jesus, — for they must have met 
before, — there was in it now nothing of haughty distance 
and reserve. All his pride was merged in one great sor- 
row. Having at length reached our Lord's presence, he 
forgot his rank and dignity, and fell down at the feet of 
Jesus, saying; "My daughter is even now dead; but come 
and lay thy hands on her and she shall live." * His peti- 
tion was one calculated to awaken the liveliest sympathy. 
This daughter was twelve years old ; she was just bud- 
ding into womanhood, and was withal an only child, the 

* Matthew ix. 18. 



388 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

light of the household. How desolate will that dwelling 
be without her joyous presence ; how wearily will the 
father's life wear on when this idol of his heart is gone ! 
What were the feelings of Jesus, may be inferred from 
His action. He did not hesitate a moment : He went 
with the ruler immediately: The thronging multitude 
followed. 

While He was on the way, an interesting occurrence 
took place, which is circumstantially narrated by three 
of the evangelists. Let us observe the crowd. It is an 
irregular procession of great extent, composed of young 
and old, rich and poor, male and female, — all pressing 
toward Jesus the central figure, trying to catch every 
glance of His eye and every word He utters. One figure 
particularly attracts our attention. It is that of a closely 
veiled female, exceedingly thin and emaciated, but stead- 
ily making her way through the crowd, evidently with the 
fixed purpose of getting near the Saviour, though mov- 
ing quietly as if anxious not to attract the notice of the 
multitude. Who this woman is, we do not know; her 
name is not given. Something of her history, however, 
we have. She has been now for these twelve years an 
invalid. During this period she has spent all her property 
on physicians without deriving the least benefit from their 
prescriptions. She is now, not only prostrated by chronic 
disease, but she is also poor. 

In her extremity this woman resorts to Jesus. She has 
faith that He can heal her ; it would seem faith of peculiar 
definiteness and strength. She has somehow formed a 
peculiar conception of Christ's healing powers. She be- 
lieves that His very body is a reservoir of health, so that 
it is only necessary to touch it in order to be healed : nay, 
she needs but touch His garment, which she regards as a 
conductor of the holy virtue of His person, and she will 
be made whole. Yet reserved and timid, she resolves to 



RAISING OF JAIRUS' DAUGHTER. 389 

do this by stealth, and so, as it were by chance, she ap- 
proaches His person, and touches the hem or fringe of 
His robe. Immediately a sensation of sudden but perfect 
health shoots through her body; it pervades every feeling. 
How her heart must have throbbed with sudden joy, as 
"she felt in her body that she was made whole of that 
plague." * 

The woman said not a word. In her ignorance she 
probably thought that Jesus Himself did not know the 
miracle which this stolen touch had effected. But she 
was soon undeceived. Jesus knew that healing power 
had gone out of Him ; and He knew whither it had gone ; 
for He did not work miracles unconsciously. He, how- 
ever, chose for the spiritual benefit of the woman to lead 
her to a voluntary public acknowledgment of the cure. 
He, therefore, turned Himself about, and said : " Who 
touched Me?"t The question called forth a general 
denial from those near Him. Observing that his Master 
still looked incredulous, Peter, who already began to act 
as spokesman for his fellow-disciples, replied almost in a 
tone of reproof: "Master, the multitude throng Thee, and 
press Thee, and sayest Thou, Who touched Me ?"$ Jesus 
said to Him : " Somebody hath touched Me," — not acci- 
dentally, but with a purpose, — "for I perceive that vir- 
tue (power) hath gone out of Me."§ At these words, 
the woman seeing that her purpose and her cure were 
known, felt all further attempts at concealment to be 
vain. "She came trembling, and falling down at His 
feet, she declared unto Him before all the people for what 
cause she had touched Him, and how she had been healed 
immediately." || His purpose was accomplished ; the open 
avowal of her faith and of its results was obtained. 



*Mark v. 29. f Luke viii. 45. JLuke viii. 45. 

§Luke viii. 46. || Luke yiii. 47. 



390 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

" Daughter," said Jesus, in tones of tenderness and en- 
couragement, " be of good comfort ; thy faith hath made 
thee whole ; go in peace." * 

We return now to Jairus. It is not difficult to imagine 
his feelings at this delay. He had left his daughter lying 
at the point of death ; every moment must have seemed to 
him an age. " Perhaps at this very instant," he thought, 
" my darling child may be breathing her last ; nay, she 
may even now be a lifeless corpse." This agony of sus- 
pense was, however, soon ended ; for, while Jesus was yet 
speaking to the woman, messengers came with the sad 
news that the child was dead. * Why troublest thou the 
Master any further ? " f said they, as if now even Jesus 
Himself could do nothing for him. The unhappy father, 
smitten as with a thunderbolt, was speechless. Our Lord, 
knowing that his heart was sinking within him, reassured 
him with a word of hope ; " Be not afraid, only believe." t 

As they approached the ruler's house, Jesus, putting 
back the multitude and even most of His disciples, suffered 
only Peter, James and John to enter the house with Him. 
Thus were these three apostles first singled out as enjoy- 
ing the special confidence of their Master, and chosen to 
be witnesses of His most select and wonderful miracles. 
On entering the house, His ears were stunned with the 
horrible din of an oriental mourning. The minstrels and 
hired mourners were already there, and the house was 
full of tumult and wailing. Accosting the noisy con- 
course, our Lord said to them: "Why make ye this ado 
and weep ? The damsel is not dead, but sleepeth."§ 

* Luke viii. 48. According to Eusebius, an early historian of the church, 
this miracle was commemorated by a bronze statue in Csesarea Paneas, rep- 
resenting a woman touching the hem of the Saviour's garment. 

t Mark v. 35. 

t Mark v. 36. 

§ Mark v. 39. 



RAISING OF JAIRUS' DAUGHTER. 391 

The^e words appeared so absurd to those present, that 
even in the midst of the wailing they laughed Jesus to 
scorn. The damsel sleeping ? She was dead ! they knew 
it to be so. That was precisely the testimony that He 
desired to elicit; for we must not understand Him as 
affirming absolutely that the maid was merely sleeping, 
as denying that she was dead ; but rather as intimating 
that, with her, death was but a brief sleep out of which 
she was soon to awake. It will be remembered that on 
another similar occasion, when the subject of His restor- 
ing power was actually dead and buried, He said in like 
manner: "Our friend Lazarus sleepeth, but I go that I 
may awake him out of sleep." * His reasoning was then 
clear enough, but for the fact that unbelief had blinded 
His hearers to the divine character in which He spoke, 
and to the miracle He was about to perform. 

Treating their scornful unbelief with deserved severity, 
Jesus at once put the noisy multitude out of the house, as 
altogether unfit witnesses of the approaching stupendous 
manifestation of the Godhead within Him. Taking with 
Him only the three disciples just named and the parents 
of the child, in the now perfect hush of the household He 
enters the chamber of death. They gather about the 
couch, and stand solemn and expectant, gazing upon the 
cold yet beautiful form before them. Two souls, believing 
and hoping, stand like funeral tapers beside the couch, — 
the father and the mother : His church the Lord sees rep- 
resented in His three most trusted apostles. All things 
being now ready, Jesus takes the damsel by the hand, say- 
ing : " Maid, arise ! " How divinely simple and calm yet 
confident the act and word! How instantaneous and 
wonderful the effect! The touch and the voice .of the 
Lord of Life vivify the marble form ; the departed spirit, 

a 

* John xi. 11. 



392 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

summoned back by Him who holds the keys of Hades 
and of Death, returns to its habitation ; the heart throbs 
anew; the ruddy current of life once more rushes through 
the pale limbs, and flushes like an aurora the lovely face ; 
the lungs heave ; the eyes open, no longer glassy but 
beaming with life and soul ; the maiden starts up on her 
couch, and looks around her : — she lives. What are the 
emotions of that father and mother? No wonder that 
all other thoughts are swallowed up in astonishment, 
and that Jesus finds it necessary to order food for the 
resuscitated child. Having for reasons, which have been 
suggested in connection with preceding portions of the 
narrative, charged those who had been witnesses of 
the miracle to keep it secret, our Lord left the house. 
What happy hearts He left behind Him we can easily 
imagine. What their communings were respecting their 
Benefactor, we know not. We can not, however, help 
feeling that they were of a most tender and grateful 
character. 

As Jesus was returning from the house of Jairus, He 
was followed by two blind men who seem to have been 
waiting for Him in the highway. They had probably 
lost their sight by that terrible opthalmia which to this 
day prevails so extensively in the East. Their condition 
was pitiable in the extreme ; for there is no bodily afflic- 
tion so terrible as blindness. This is especially true of 
those who are dependent on their labor for their daily 
bread. Blindness in such cases is beggary. Thus it 
probably was with the blind men who followed Jesus. 
Having heard of the wonderful cures wrought by our 
Lord, the hope had sprung up in their breasts that He 
would restore them. Urged on by this hope, they had 
persuaded some benevolent person to lead them to some 
place by which Jesus was to pass. As soon as they knew 
He was at hand, they cried out to Him : " Thou Son of 



RAISING OF JAIKUS' DAUGHTER. 393 

David, have mercy on us." # It is probable that they in- 
tended by this mode of address, to acknowledge Jesus as 
the Messiah. This would naturally follow from their cir- 
cumstances. Their affliction had made them humble and 
teachable ; it had taught them, also, that their only help 
was in Jesus. Susceptible and believing as they were, 
they would be among the first to acknowledge the Naz- 
arene carpenter as the long-expected Heir of David. 

Our Lord, probably with a view of testing their faith, 
appeared at first to take no notice of them. And so 
they followed Him, either led by some one who had pity 
on their helplessness, or else feeling their way hesitatingly 
along the street, — all the while, in their determination to 
be heard, repeating the cry : " Thou Son of David, have 
mercy on us !" At length, having followed Jesus to the 
house wherein He then abode, — probably the house of 
Matthew the publican, — they succeeded in reaching His 
presence. " Believe ye," said He, " that I am able to do 
this ? They said unto Him, Yea, Lord. Then touched 
He their eyes, saying, According to your faith, be it unto 
you." t Their faith had been too well tested to leave the 
result in doubt. Immediately, to their unspeakable joy, 
their eyes were opened. No sooner had they opened their 
eyes and looked upon their but just now unseen Bene- 
factor, than He charged them to let no man know it. It 
would have been well for them to have obeyed the in- 
junction to the letter, since to obey is better than sacri- 
fice. But, overwhelmed as they were with wonder and 
gratitude, they seem to have found that impossible. They 
spread abroad the fame of Jesus throughout the land. 
Nor do we find that their grateful loquacity was imputed 
to them for sin, by Him who, knowing what was in man's 
heart, knew full well their feelings and their motives. 



* Matthew xix. 27. t Matthew ix. 28, 29. 



394 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

The words which our Lord employed in working the 
cure are worthy of a passing notice. This form of ex- 
pression, so common with Him in the working of miracles, 
was doubtless intended to suggest the relation between 
man's faith and God's gift. Faith is that condition or 
exercise of the soul which brings it into communication 
with the divine power and good-will. It is the soul's re- 
ceptivity, without which it neither can obtain the desired 
gift, nor be truly blessed even in obtaining it. This being 
so, it follows necessarily that the measure of the recep- 
tivity is the measure of the thing received; the fulness 
of the faith is the fulness of the blessing. He who bestows 
on the ground of the faith alone, must also give according 
to the faith. 

As the restored blind man left the presence of Jesus, 
there was brought to Him a certain demoniac, who, like 
the one mentioned in a previous chapter, was blind and 
dumb. Jesus took prompt pity on the unfortunate crea- 
ture, and discerning with divine insight the secret of his 
maladies, proceeded at once to cast out the unclean spirit 
that had possessed him. The blind and dumb man both 
spake and saw. The influence of the miracle on the be- 
holders was widely various. The people were filled with 
wonder and affirmed that, "It was never so seen in 
Israel."* Even among those who had beheld marvellous 
displays of divine power, the like of such miracles had 
not before been witnessed. The Pharisees, however, act- 
uated by settled hatred and hostility, although they could 
not deny the reality of the cure, repeated their old blas- 
pheming taunt : & He casteth out devils through the prince 
of devils." t Little cared they for the suffering humanity 
relieved ; little for the divine reality of the relief. Such 
is the heart of man, when left to its own evil passions. 



* Matthew ix. 33. f See Matthew xii. 24. 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE THEORY OF OUR LORD'S MIRACULOUS HEALING, 

A PECULIARITY IN OUR LORD'S MIRACLES OF HEALING — MIRACULOUS 
CURES, LIKE NATURAL ONES, DEMAND A REMEDIAL AGENCY — THE 
REMEDIAL VIRTUE IN THE FORMER FOUND IN THE PERSON OF JESUS — 
NOTHING INCREDIBLE IN THE COMMUNICATION OF THIS VIRTUE BY 
VOLITION AND TOUCH — THE MIRACULOUS CURES OF JESUS NOT 
WROUGHT BY MESMERISM — THEY INVOLVE NO VIOLATION OF NATURAL 
LAW — THE THEORY OF THE RESURRECTION OF THE RIGHTEOUS. 

As the various miracles of healing which have so far 
been narrated embrace some of each of the kinds wrought 
during later portions of His life, and are in most respects 
types of their kind, we may here pause to notice a pecu- 
liarity in most of them, a careful study of which may 
help us to a correct theory of our Lord's mode of healing. 
This is by no means to claim that we can fully understand 
these miracles, — indeed, we cannot understand how dis- 
eases are cured by natural remedies, — but we may form a 
conception of their mode which shall be true as far as it 
goes. 

Every cure is effected by some remedial agency oper- 
ating on the patient. This is true of a miraculous cure. 
Miracles are effects and, just like any other effects, pre- 
suppose a cause. When Peter's wife's mother was healed 
of the fever, the miracle consisted, not in her being cured 
without the use of any remedial agent, but in its being 
done by supernatural instead of natural means. Some 
remedial influence there was, operating on her diseased 



396 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

organism, and that of a very powerful character. The 
same was true of the healing of the leper; of the woman 
with the issue of blood ; the restoring of the blind men 
to sight ; and even of the raising of the daughter of Jai- 
rus. Some real remedial agency, or vitalizing power, 
acted upon the bodily systems of the persons thus restored. 

The question now arises, whence or what was this 
remedial agency or force through which these miraculous 
cures were wrought ? The peculiarity suggested above, 
is in this direction highly significant. It is a noticeable 
fact that in so many of these miracles there was an actual 
contact between the body of Jesus and that of the person 
healed: either voluntarily or otherwise, Jesus touched 
them. In some cases, this was done with a manner ex- 
pressly indicative of a connection between the touching 
and the healing. Thus Jesus put forth His hand and 
touched the leper ; He touched the eyes of the blind 
men ; and He took the daughter of Jairus by the hand. 
That there was such a relation between the two facts is 
strikingly set forth in His own words when He was 
touched by the woman in the crowd. He declared not 
only that some one had touched Him, but that in conse- 
quence of that touch, virtue had gone out of Him. The 
inference from all this is inevitable that the healing power 
resided in the person of Jesus ; it went forth from His per- 
son to that of those miraculously restored. The excep- 
tional cases narrated by the evangelists, only show that 
contact was not necessary to a cure; they do not invalidate 
the inference as to the agency which effected the cure. 

What this healing agency was in its essence we do not 
know, but the fact of its transmission from Jesus to those 
restored by Him is perfectly credible. It is a familiar fact 
that disease can be communicated by one person to an- 
other. In the case of some diseases, communication is 
certain to result from contact ; in some even proximity 



M1BACUL0US HEALING. 397 

without contact is enough. It is quite conceivable that 
a remedial influence may be conveyed in a similar way. 
Indeed, setting aside all the extravagant phenomena some- 
times alleged in that direction, it is a well-established fact 
that, under certain conditions, one person may, by volition, 
and commonly through actual contact, convey a vital influ- 
ence to another which shall operate on both body and mind. 

This is adduced, not by any means as showing that the 
miracles of Jesus were wrought by a mesmeric or mag- 
netic influence. This would fall little short of blasphemy. 
It is only adduced as showing that, according to our own 
experience, there is nothing incredible in our Lord's im- 
parting healing virtue from His own person to the bodies 
of others. Endued as He was with a vitality which was 
superhuman, — divine, — the very well-spring of life was in 
Him. His body was, so to speak, a reservoir of life; for 
even in His manhood He was the Son of Gocl, and had 
received of the Father to have life in Himself. His very 
person was therefore full of virtue, and this virtue was 
communicable by touch, — even by mere volition. It was 
so communicated, and this transmitted vitality was the 
remedial agency by which He cured diseases. 

Nor does this involve a violation, or even a suspension 
of the laws of nature. It only involves the operation of 
a higher vital force in perfect harmony with existing 
forces and laws. Indeed, it is only a short-sighted vision 
which finds any difficulty here. The real mystery, the real 
miracle lies back of and beyond all this : it was not so 
much in the performing of these particular cures, as in 
the existence of that "virtue" or power, — of that divine 
life in human flesh, to the outcoming of which they are 
ascribed. Granting the incarnation, all the rest follows 
naturally and of course. The wonder then is, not that 
contact with the Son of God should heal disease, but that 
the Son of God should be found in fashion as a man. 




398 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

The preceding train of thought is further interesting 
as suggestive of the true theory of the resurrection of 
the righteous. It has been seen that it was by the out- 
coming and imparting of vitalizing power from the per- 
son of Jesus, that the daughter of Jairus and the son of 
the widow of Nain were restored to life. And thus will 
all believers be quickened; — nay, the resurrection-life 
has already been imparted to them. United to Christ as 
the branch is united to the vine, they have already been 
brought into this vivifying contact. The Spirit of Christ 
which now dwells in them shall quicken their mortal 
bodies at the last day. Those bodies have been immor- 
talized by the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, and they 
shall not wholly, absolutely die. They die, only as dies 
the grain which is cast into the ground as seed; the 
grosser parts decay, but the true life in the germ does 
not perish. The holy, dead body and soul are still in 
vital relation with Jesus, in whom is the fountain of life, 
and at the appointed time they shall hear the voice of 
the Son of Man and shall come forth to the resurrection, 
of life * And this idea of a vital, resurrection-force, as 
already imparted and dwelling within the believer, is 
most clearly affirmed by our Lord in the memorable 
words of His in the sixth chapter of John: "Whoso 
eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood hath eternal 
life." The whole passage is in fact an unfolding of this 
very theory of the resurrection. 

* John v. 28, 29. f John vi. 48-58, in full. 



CHAPTER XIII. 
ANOTHER MISSIONARY CIRCUIT IN GALILEE. 

NAZARETH REVISITED — JESUS AGAIN REJECTED — PREACHES AND HEALS 
THE SICK IN THE CITIES AND VILLAGES — HIS COMPASSION FOR THE 
MULTITUDE — THE APOSTLES INSTRUCTED AND SENT FORTH — JESUS 
RETURNS TO CAPERNAUM — TIDINGS OF THE DEATH OF JOHN THE 
BAPTIST. 

Matthew xin. 54-58. Mark ti. 1-6. Matthew is. 35-38. Mark vi. 6-13. Matthew x. 
Mark vi. 7-11. Luke ix. 1-5. 

The work of Jesus in Capernaum was well nigh accom- 
plished. The people of that city seem to have generally 
taken sides, either for Him or against Him. It does not 
appear that many of them, subsequent to this time, be- 
came His disciples; but there was rather a strong ten- 
dency to defection among those who had professed to 
believe in His prophetic mission. The people of the 
rural districts, however, were as yet comparatively free 
from prejudice ; and our Lord, therefore, set out on an- 
other missionary tour among the cities and villages of 
Galilee. 

Was it in part a natural longing for the place in which 
He had spent the holy and peaceful days of His child- 
hood, that led Him once more to Nazareth, whence He 
had once been driven as an excommunicated outlaw? It 
was certainly in a spirit of divine pity and long-suffer- 
ing, that He again entered the town, and even went into 
the synagogue on the Sabbath and began to teach ; but 



400 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

He found the old prejudice still violent and bitter ; for the 
people still harped on His humble condition, His laborious 
employment, and His lowly circle of relatives while He 
dwelt among them. Finding their hearts closed against 
Him by unbelief, He soon departed; but not before He 
had even there laid His hands on a few sick people and 
healed them. 

In other parts of Galilee He was received with rever- 
ence and enthusiasm. He was followed by such multitudes 
that He found it impossible to minister to all, either bodily 
relief or spiritual instruction. In their eagerness to hear 
and be healed, the people made inadequate provision for 
their physical sustenance, and many even fainted and 
were scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd. Be- 
sides, amidst such a concourse and crush of people, only 
a few could be benefited by the personal preaching of 
the Lord. He therefore called His twelve apostles around 
Him, and gave them a special mission, designed, so to 
speak, to multiply Himself, and convey to all the popu- 
lation of the region the benefits of His personal min- 
istry. Though their mission was limited to a small 
section of the Holy Land, and, at the outside, to a few 
weeks in duration, the general instructions under which 
they went forth w T ere of much larger scope, extending, 
in all except unimportant details, to their whole subse- 
quent ministry, and also setting forth the principles on 
which the church in every age and every country, must 
prosecute the work of evangelization. It is, therefore, 
especially important that these instructions should be 
carefully studied. 

Where, then, were the apostles to go, and what were 
they to do? The field of their labors is carefully de- 
fined : — " Go . not into the way of the Gentiles, and into 
any city of the Samaritans enter ye not ; but go rather 
to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Let it not for 



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nils. 



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THE MISSION OF THE APOSTLES. 401 

a moment be supposed that Jesus was in the slightest 
degree influenced by Jewish prejudice against Gentiles 
and Samaritans. He Himself had preached the gospel to 
the people of Sychar, and He had warmly commended 
the faith of the centurion. He had besides given many 
distinct intimations of the calling of the Gentiles, and the 
extension of His kingdom throughout the world. The 
true reason why the mission of the apostles was restricted 
to the "lost sheep of the house of Israel" was an eco- 
nomical one. The Galileans were already prepared to 
receive the messengers of Christ. Their interest was al- 
ready awakened; and they were predisposed to lend a 
willing ear to any who were understood to be the confi- 
dential disciples and messengers of Jesus. On the other 
hand, Gentiles and Samaritans, with here and there an ex- 
ception, were so blinded by ignorance and national preju- 
dices, that they were not prepared at once to understand 
and accept even the simple truths which the Twelve were 
commissioned to preach. As the business of Christ re- 
quired haste, He could not afford to throw away labor on 
a sterile and unpromising field. The principle underly- 
ing this restriction is of universal application. While the 
gospel is to be preached to all nations, it is to be first 
proclaimed to those who are most enlightened and sus- 
ceptible. Our Lord after His resurrection, while He en- 
larged the commission of the apostles, prescribed the same 
order of evangelization ; " Ye shall be witnesses unto Me 
both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and 
to the uttermost part of the earth : " — first, in Jerusa- 
lem ; next, in Samaria ; and then, to the remotest Gentile 
nations. 

With what powers were the apostles clothed? "As 
ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at 
hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the 

dead, cast out devils; freely ye have received, freely 
26 



402 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

give." Their message, though plain and simple, was im- 
portant and interesting. They were to announce the 
speedy coming of that glorious kingdom of God, for 
which good men and prophets had longed for ages. 
Whether they were to preach that Jesus Himself was the 
Messiah, does not appear. It seems probable that they 
were not as yet permitted to be thus explicit ; but that 
they were to preach in His name, and point the people 
to Him as the great Prophet and Apostle of God, appears 
on the very face of their commission. That their au- 
thority as His embassadors might be placed beyond ques- 
tion, they were empowered to work miracles. Like Him, 
they were to heal the sick, to cleanse the lepers, to cast 
out devils, and even to raise the dead. What miracles 
they actually performed is not recorded; but if they 
failed in any case — as they certainly did fail, not long 
afterwards, to heal the lunatic child, — it was because of 
their own unbelief, and not from any lack of endowment. 
It has been already intimated that their commission ex- 
tended beyond this brief missionary tour, in the course 
of which they healed many sick and cast out many 
demons ; and we know that after the day of Pentecost 
they raised the dead. 

Having invested His messengers with such ample pow- 
ers, Jesus sent them forth, destitute of all visible suste- 
nance, and of all human help. " Take nothing for your 
journey ; neither staves nor scrip, neither bread, neither 
money, neither have two coats apiece." "No means of 
any sort did He permit for procuring the necessaries of 
life, or purchasing the helps of their journey; no store 
of provisions, nor even a scrip for containing what might 
be offered them by the pity or piety of the people ; no 
raiment or vesture, with the change of which to comfort 
their weary and way-worn limbs, besides what was suffi- 
cient for nature's modesty and her present necessity. 



THE MISSION OF THE APOSTLES. 403 

Without staff, without shoes, they fared on their way two 
by two; their sandaled feet exposed to dust and sultry 
heat ; their bodies, to every blast of heaven ; their natural 
wants, to man's precarious charity. The most defenseless 
bird that flies athwart the heavens, the weakest, most 
persecuted beast that cowers beneath the covert, or scuds 
along the plain, is better provided with visible defenses 
than were these apostles of the Highest ; for the birds of 
the air have nests to which to wing their flight at even- 
tide, and the beasts of the earth have holes wherein to 
screen themselves from pursuit ; but the founders of the 
spiritual and everlasting kingdom have not where to lay 
their head." * 

They were directed to make such haste as not even to 
salute any man by the way, thus avoiding that tedious 
interchange of conventional courtesies in which orientals 
have always wasted so much precious time. Lest their 
time should be frittered away, and their zeal should be 
quenched in a round of festive entertainments, they were 
instructed to seek out, wherever they went, those who 
were in repute for virtue and piety, and with them, unless 
they were rejected, to abide till their mission called them 
elsewhere. 

"Thus disfurnished of resources from Nature's store- 
house, and hindered from ploughing with human help, do 
you ask if these missionaries of the gospel had promises 
of welcome everywhere, and went forth on a flourishing 
and popular cause ? if the way was prepared for them in 
every city, and a hospitable home made ready for them 
in every house ? Hear what their Lord saith to them at 
parting: 'Go your ways; behold I send you forth as 
sheep in the midst of wolves. Beware of men, for they 
will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge 

# Edward living's sermon before the London Missionary Society. 



404 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

you in the synagogues, and ye shall be brought before 
governors and kings for My sake ; the brother shall de- 
liver up the brother, and the father the child, and the 
children shall rise up against the parents and cause them 
to be put to death, and ye shall be hated of all men for 
My name's sake.' Go, my chosen ones, go like the de- 
fenseless lamb into the maw of the ravenous wolf; the 
world thirsteth for your blood, and is in arms against 
your undefended lives ; nevertheless, go. You are with- 
out weapons of defense, no bribes are in your hands, nor 
soft words upon your tongues ; and you go in the teeth 
of hatred, derision and rage. Nevertheless, my children, 
go."* 

The dangers here foretold certainly did not threaten 
the apostles on this particular journey, — a sufficient proof 
that our Lord intended this commission to regulate their 
whole subsequent ministry. While, however, He stripped 
them of every earthly hope and stay, He pressed to their 
lips at parting a cup full to the brim of the very wine of 
heaven. What support and consolation could they desire 
which Jesus did not convey in these gracious words ? — 
" Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing ? and one of 
them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 
But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear 
not, therefore ; ye are of more value than many sparrows. 
Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him 
will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven. 
But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also 
deny before My Father which is in heaven. Think not 
that I am come to seucl peace on earth : I came not to 
send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at 
variance against his father, and the daughter against her 
mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in- 



*Irving's Missionary Sermon. 



THE MISSION OF THE APOSTLES. 405 

law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own house- 
hold. He that loveth father or mother more than Me, 
is not worthy of Me ; and he that loveth son or daughter 
more than Me, is not worthy of Me. And he that taketh 
not his cross, and followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me. 
He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth 
his life for my sake, shall find it. He that receiveth you, 
receiveth Me; and he that receiveth Me, receiveth Him 
that sent Me. He that receiveth a prophet in the name 
of a prophet, shall receive a prophet's reward; and he 
that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a right- 
eous man, shall receive a righteous man's reward. And 
whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little 
ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a dis- 
ciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his 
reward." 

" Thus while He cut them off from the power and virtue 
of gold and silver, which, they say, will unlock barred 
gates and scale frowning ramparts ; while He denied them 
the scrip, and therewith hindered the accumulation and 
use of property in any form; while He forbade them 
change of raiment, that is, pleasure and accommodation 
of the person ; and with their staff interdicted all ease 
of travel and recreation of the sense by the way ; and in 
hindering salutations hindered the formalities of life and 
the ends of natural or social affection ; all these, the natu- 
ral motives to enterprise and the sweet rewards of success, 
while He cut asunder as hath been said, He foresaw that 
whether He did so or not, the world would soon do it for 
them ; He did not leave their minds in a void state, with- 
out inducement or hope of reward ; but proceeded to fill 
each several chamber thereof with the spirit of a more 
enduring patience and a more adventurous daring; to 
give to faith what He took from sight ; what He inter- 
dicted in the visible to supply from the invisible ; what 



406 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

of temporal things He spoiled them of to repay with 
things spiritual and eternal." * 

Havino* received this commission the apostles went 
forth, preaching that men should repent. It is noteworthy 
that in healing the sick they made use of oil — the earliest 
mention of anointing in the New Testament 

There is unwonted revelry in the palace of Machaerus. 
Herod Antipas, with his court and army, is there, pre- 
paring to make war on Aretas, king of Arabia, the in- 
censed father of the Tetrarch's repudiated and insulted 
wife. It is his birthday, and his lords and chief captains 
are feasting in the great hall of the palace. The splen- 
dor of the feast, which doubtless combined elaborate Ro- 
man luxury and oriental magnificence, can be better 
imagined than described. The wine circulates freely, the 
guests praise the liberality of Herod, and their honeyed 
flattery falls sweetly on his soul. Pleasure reigns, and 
the feast extends far into the night. 

Suddenly a young maiden glides into the hall, and 
while the sweetest music floats through the place, falls 
into one of those graceful and voluptuous dances for 
which the East has been always famous. This is no 
vulgar artiste, no mercenary performer, but a princess, 
a daughter of Herodias, the grand-daughter of Herod 
the Great. It may be inferred from the admiration of 
the guests, that the dancing of the maiden was really 
exquisite; that it was music made visible; that it was 
the "poetry of motion ;" that it was both graceful and 
impassioned ; in a word, that it was an exhibition quite 
in keeping with the magnificence of the place, the splen- 
dor of the feast, and the rank of the company. Enthu- 
siastic applause follows the performance. Herod, in the 
proud, perhaps drunken rapture of the moment, swore 



* Edward Irving. 



THE MISSION OF THE APOSTLES. 407 

that he would give the maiden whatever she asked, even 
though it were the half of his kingdom. 

Herodias, we conjecture, has been watching the effect 
of her daughter's performance ; for she is at hand when 
the maiden retires to consult her. There is no hatred so 
cruel and pitiless as that of a depraved woman. There 
is one man whom Herodias can never forgive, and that 
man is in a neighboring dungeon. It is John the Bap- 
tist. She long ago determined that he should die ; but 
the timidity of her paramour, and a little of the milk 
of human kindness still remaining in his nature, have 
hitherto prevented his yielding to her demand for ven- 
geance on the prophet who had dared to rebuke her 
shameless and incestuous life. Now she knows that her 
time is come. Not for a moment does her cruel purpose 
falter, neither does she scruple to employ her own daugh- 
ter as the instrument of her bloody revenge ; but after 
giving the necessary instruction, she sends the maiden 
back to the banqueting hall. She enters in haste and 
presents herself to the king. "I will," she said, "that 
thou give me here, by and by, in a charger, the head of 
John the Baptist." Surely, such a petition was never of- 
fered before by a young maiden to a monarch. The 
guests must, one would think, have heard it with horror ; 
but courtier-like, they make no sign. As for Herod, he is 
sorely troubled by the strange, incredible request; but 
he prides himself on keeping his promises, especially 
when confirmed by oaths. He thinks his honor as a king 
is pledged, and so he issues the fatal order, and sends an 
executioner to the prison for the head of the prophet. 

We know not how the Baptist met his doom. The 
summons was sudden ; but we can not doubt that he was 
calm, joyous, victorious. He had at length fulfilled his 
course ; he had fought through his great battle ; and he 
could not die otherwise than with serene and exultant 



408 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

faith. Our history merely records the fact that he was 
beheaded in prison, that his head was presented to the 
daughter of Herodias in a charger, and that she carried 
it to her mother. The disciples of John, hearing of his 
cruel death, bore his remains to the tomb and then natu- 
rally went and told Jesus. Their journey must have oc- 
cupied several days, and they probably met our Lord 
about the time of His return to Capernaum. 



PART VII 



The Later G-alilean Ministry 
of Jesus. 



CHAPTER I. 

JESUS FEEDS THE MULTITUDE, AND WALKS UPON 

THE SEA. 

SUCCESS OF OUR LORD'S EARLIER GALILEAN MINISTRY — PECULIARITY OF 
THE LATER MINISTRY — RETURN OF THE TWELVE — JESUS THRONGED 

BY THE MULTITUDE — HE SECRETLY DEPARTS TO A DESERT PLACE 

THE MULTITUDE FOLLOW HIM — ANXIETY AND DOUBT OF THE APOS- 
TLES AS TO FEEDING THE MULTITUDE — HE FEEDS THE MULTITUDE — 
JESUS SENDS AWAY THE DISCIPLES AND RETIRES INTO A MOUNTAIN — 
THE DISCIPLES OVERTAKEN BY THE STORM ON THE LAKE — JESUS GOES 
TO THEM, WALKING ON THE WATER — PETER'S EXPERIMENT — THE 
MULTITUDE GATHER TO JESUS AND HE HEALS THE SICK — GENERAL 
DESIGN OF THE MIRACLES. 

Matthew xrv. 15-35. Mark vi. 31-56. Luke ix. 10. John vi. 7-15. 

We now enter upon our Lord's later Galilean ministry. 
The first or earlier portion was closed by the death of 
the Baptist, and its announcement to Jesus. It was 
marked by intense and unremitting activity, especially 
towards its termination, at which time the popularity of 
Jesus reached, if we may so speak, its height. It was 
marked by the widest exercise of His healing power ; it 
witnessed many of His most stupendous miracles. Every- 
where crowds upon crowds followed Him, or withdrawing 
from Him, spread everywhere the fame of His mighty 
works. No formal opposition had yet been developed 
among the people ; His labors were as yet comparatively 
free and unimpeded. 

His later Galilean ministry was marked by some pe- 
culiarities of its own. In all that looked to the recogni- 



412 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

tion of Jesus by the Jewish nation as its Prince and Sav- 
iour, it was less promising. The unsparing severity with 
which He had rebuked and denounced the scribes and 
Pharisees had roused them to sleepless hostility. The 
clearer revelation He now made of the exclusively spir- 
itual character of His Messianic mission perplexed and 
disappointed the people. The multitude, always fickle, 
becoming somewhat accustomed to His mighty works, 
were now more open to the insidious cavils and blas- 
phemous suggestions of the Pharisees. John's mission, 
as the forerunner of Jesus, had come to an unsuccessful 
and even tragical close, the natural influence of which was 
to cast discredit upon the claims of our Lord Himself. 

All these facts Jesus took clearly into account. Rea- 
soning from them, He could come to but one conclusion. 
His own career was drawing to a close. The time was 
not far distant when He " must suffer many things and 
be set at nought." Hence, we shall find Him shaping His 
course to meet the changing aspect of things ; not with 
the rash courage and bravado of a fanatic rushing head- 
long to His fate, but wisely avoiding a needless precipita- 
tion of the final tragedy, and assiduously laboring to put 
His infant church in a state of readiness for the great 
trial which was before it. He now withdraws Himself 
more and more from the public eye, and devotes Him- 
self more especially to the apostolic training of the 
Twelve, and to their proper preparation for His approach- 
ing death. 

Our Lord appears at the time when this portion of the 
sacred narrative opens, to have returned from one of 
His missionary circuits to Capernaum. Here, the messen- 
gers who brought the news of John's death would most 
naturally seek Him. Capernaum would of course be the 
proper place of rendezvous for the Twelve when their 
immediate mission had been completed. Hither at this 



JESUS FEEDS THE MULTITUDE. 413 

time they had come, perhaps hastened in their return by 
the eventful news of the martyrdom of the Baptist. It 
would not be strange if the event filled them with some 
apprehension for their Master's safety. Finding Him here 
and to all appearance as yet safe, they proceed to report 
their success, and to recount the various contradictory 
rumors which were afloat as to Jesus Himself; some of 
the people regarding Him as one of the old prophets, 
others as Elijah, and others, among whom was Herod An- 
tipas, saying that He was John the Baptist risen from the 
dead. 

Upon our Lord's return to Capernaum, He was, as usual, 
beset and thronged with multitudes. ft Many were com- 
ing and going and they had no leisure so much as to eat." 
The concourse was, perhaps, greater because the approach 
of the Passover had set the great mass of the people in 
motion toward Jerusalem. Many companies, or caravans, 
no doubt improved the opportunity which this journey 
afforded, to stop and see the great prophet whose fame 
had gone abroad over the land. Of course, all privacy 
and repose were out of the question. 

And yet both were needed. The apostles were some- 
what exhausted by their recent labors ; for we can not 
but believe that active, earnest men as they were, and 
with our Lord's example of indefatigable diligence before 
them, their labors had been most arduous. It was impor- 
tant, also, that opportunity should be had for giving them 
fresh instructions preparatory to a new mission. Jesus 
Himself may have felt the need of a season of solitary 
communion with the Father for the refreshing of His own 
spirit, agitated as He was by the death of John, whose 
bloody end doubtless foreshadowed His own* In addition 
to all this, it seemed necessary for Him to withdraw from 

*See " Andrews' Life of Christ," page 299. 



414 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

the multitude who, grieved and exasperated by John's 
death, began to look to Jesus as his possible avenger. 

In this state of affairs, Jesus determines to withdraw 
with His disciples to some secluded retreat. "Come ye 
yourselves apart," said He, "into a desert place and rest 
awhile." They accordingly took ship, and crossing the 
lake, sought refuge "in a desert place belonging to the 
city of Bethsaida," a city on the northern shore, at the 
entrance of the Jordan into the lake. 

But although they withdrew from the multitude, and 
took their departure as privately as possible, they were 
observed and their course noticed. The news spread rap- 
idly, and the crowd immediately started by land, around 
the head of the lake. They made such speed that they 
reached the place of our Lord's debarkation before His 
arrival, the vessel having been probably detained by con- 
trary winds. Hence, when Jesus came out of the vessel, 
He found a vast multitude waiting to receive Him. 

Presented to His view in this spontaneous movement, — 
so wonderful for its unanimity and promptitude, — as sheep 
without a shepherd, an active, earnest people without a 
spiritual leader, the heart of Jesus was touched with 
mingled admiration and pity. He willingly abandoned 
for the present His purpose to retire into temporary se- 
clusion, in order that He might preach the gospel to this 
eager audience, and heal the diseases of their sick and 
suffering ones. He appears to have spent most of the 
day in this work. 

As the afternoon wore away, it became a matter of anx- 
iety with the apostles, how this great multitude, among 
whom were many women and children, were to be fed. 
They had in their haste come without provisions ; it was 
a desert place, where of course nothing was to be had ; 
and they had been detained so long by our Lord's preach- 
ing, that it was now too late for them to return to their 



JESUS FEEDS THE MULTITUDE. 415 

homes. Jesus Himself increased the perplexity of His 
disciples by asking Philip, " Whence shall we buy bread 
that these may eat?" This was evidently intended as 
an intimation of what He intended to do by His divine 
power, but the disciples seem not to have looked upon it 
in that light. It doubtless appeared to them unreasona- 
ble that any idea should be entertained that they and 
their Master should be held responsible for the famishing 
condition of the multitude. Philip, who was carnal in 
his views, and who neither understood the power nor the 
purpose of Jesus, replied, a Two hundred pennyworth of 
bread," (forty-six dollars' worth,) " is not sufficient that 
every one of them may take a little." This was proba- 
bly the amount of money the disciples had on hand. As 
this appeared so utterly insufficient to provide for the 
wants of the multitude, the feeling of the disciples was 
that it could not be done. Hence, after much anxious 
thought and inquiry, they came' to Jesus as the evening 
drew on, and said to Him, " This is a desert place, and the 
time is now past; send the multitude away, that they 
may go into the villages and buy themselves victuals." 
Our Lord replied; ^They need not depart; give ye them 
to eat." The disciples were, not only perplexed, but al- 
most irritated by these words, as we may infer from their 
rather impertinent answer ; u Shall we go and buy two 
hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat ? " 

It was now time for Jesus to take the matter into His 
own hands. It was evidently useless to attempt anything 
with His disciples : they could not yet get above their 
carnal blindness and unbelief. The purpose of their Di- 
vine Master seems not to have flashed upon their minds. 
Jesus, therefore, turns to them, and says, — we may imag- 
ine, somewhat abruptly : — " How many loaves have ye ? 
go and see." Andrew replied that there was a lad pres- 
ent who had "five barley loaves and two small fishes; 



416 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

but," said' he, still persistent in unbelief, "what are they 
among so many ? " These loaves were the usual thin 
cakes, such as are still eaten in the East, one of which is 
hardly sufficient for a single person. The lad had proba- 
bly brought them with him for his own supper. They 
were at best but coarse food, rarely eaten even in that 
age, except by cattle or the lowest class of slaves. To 
be fed on barley bread was a punishment inflicted on Ro- 
man soldiers who deserted their standard. 

Small as was the provision and inferior as was its 
quality, it was enough for the purpose of Him whose 
plan it is to accomplish great results in the use of feeble 
means. Jesus directed the loaves and the fishes to be 
brought, and commanded the people to sit down in ranks, 
an order convenient for the distribution of the food. The 
place was a pleasant one for the purpose, for it was cov- 
ered with green grass, on which the people, obeying our 
Lord's order with singular readiness reclined themselves 
in companies of fifties and hundreds. Taking into His 
hands "the Rve loaves and the two fishes, and looking 
up to heaven, He blessed and brake, and gave the loaves 
to His disciples, and the disciples to the multitude." The 
distribution of the loaves and the fishes continued until all 
had taken "as much as they would." Nor was there any 
lack ; for the provision multiplied under the hand of Jesus, 
until "They did all eat and were filled." 

After all had partaken, our Lord directed His disciples 
to gather up the fragments that nothing might be lost. 
It would seem that each took a basket and proceeded to 
obey the order. When all was done it was found that 
there remained of the fragments of the feast twelve baskets 
full. The feelings of these disciples as they presented 
themselves before Jesus, with these twelve baskets full of 
fragments, and recalled their unbelieving doubt as to the 
sufficiency of the live loaves and two fishes, can easily be 



JESUS FEEDS THE MULTITUDE. 417 

imagined. Without a word of reproof from Jesus each 
was rebuked by the miracle which He bore in his own 
basket. 

The multitude who were thus miraculously fed, and who 
numbered " about five thousand men, besides women and 
children/' were filled with wonder. That a notable mira- 
cle had been wrought was palpable to every one of them. 
They were seized with a sudden conviction of the divine 
authority of Jesus. " This is, of a truth," said they, " that 
Prophet that should come into the world/' Here was a 
Prophet, they thought, like Moses, who also fed the peo- 
ple in the wilderness. Full of this feeling, they even 
meditated making Him a king by force. 

Divining their intention, our Lord constrained His dis- 
ciples to enter into a ship, directing them to cross the 
lake towards Bethsaida. It is not improbable that He 
thus hurried them away in opposition to their wishes, in 
order to prevent their becoming infected with the wild 
and dangerous enthusiasm of the multitude. Having seen 
them depart, He dismissed the people, and " went up into 
a mountain apart to pray." For, though it was now night, 
and the day had been one of severe labor, He sought no 
repose in sleep. The refreshment He desired was com- 
munion with the Father. In this deep seclusion, far from 
the tumult of the world, He continued in devotion; — 
from evening till midnight, from midnight till morn, en- 
gaged in silent prayer and praise. 

Meanwhile, the disciples, who had left their Master 
with the utmost reluctance, were in great perplexity and 
peril. They had been overtaken by fierce and contrary 
winds; the lake was boisterous; the waves were high 
and threatening. Fearing for the safety of their little 
craft, they had taken in their sail and resorted to their 
oars. But they made slow progress. It was now the 

fourth watch of the night or near morning, and they had 

27 



418 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

only made about three miles, or half the distance across 
the lake, although it must have been some eight hours 
since they left Jesus. Doubtless the disciples, though ac- 
customed to the sudden tempests of that treacherous 
lake, were somewhat alarmed. Anxiously they looked 
out upon the thick sky and the raging waters. When, 
on a former occasion, they were tossed on these angry 
waves, they were in extreme fear, though Jesus Himself 
was with them in the vessel. Now, they were alone. 

Suddenly they behold a spectacle which freezes their 
blood with terror. Through the darkness they see a hu- 
man form approaching them, over the waters ; it treads 
the waves, as if they were solid ground; it draws near 
the ship ; it even seems about to pass by the ship. All 
witness the strange spectacle ; all are struck with super- 
natural dread, for they doubt not that it is a spirit. Nor 
is it strange ; never had mortal eyes looked on the like 
before. They cry out in their terror. But, hark ! there 
comes a well-known answering voice : " Be of good cheer : 
it is I : be not afraid." It is the voice of Jesus, and their 
terror is changed in a moment to wonder and joy. 

And now, Peter must signalize his superior courage and 
faith. " Lord," he exclaims, "if it be Thou, bid me come 
unto Thee on the water." Not that he doubted whether 
it was really the Lord. His meaning is rather: "Lord, 
since it is Thou, bid me come to Thee." Jesus does not 
say, " I bid thee come ; " but rather, " Come ; " " Make 
the experiment if thou wilt." With characteristic bold- 
ness and impetuosity, Peter immediately stepped over 
the side of the boat upon the water. For a moment, he 
was upborne by his faith ; for something of true faith he 
had. But when he saw the wind boisterous, and the white, 
broken waves beneath his feet, a feeling of danger rushed 
upon him ; he yielded to fear ; he began to sink. Though 
he was a strong swimmer, it availed him not now; "For 



JESUS WALKS UPON THE SEA. 419 

there is no mingling of nature and grace in this way. 
He who has entered the wonder-world of grace, must 
not suppose that he may fall out of it, at any moment 
he will, and betake himself to his old resources of nature: 
he has foregone these, and must carry out what he has 
begun, or fail at his peril." * Peter could, therefore, only 
cry out for help ; " Lord, save me ! " He had thought to 
make a show of his courage and faith, before his fellow- 
disciples ; but he must now in the presence of them all 
confess his terror and his weakness. But no one shall 
call on Christ in vain, even when brought into peril by 
his own presumption and unbelief. Peter found a strong 
hand stretched forth to snatch him from a watery grave. 
"0, thou of little faith; wherefore didst thou doubt?" 
"Why did you cease to trust in Me? So long as you kept 
yourself in communication with Me by faith, you were 
safe." Saying this, Jesus entered, with the humbled apos- 
tle, into the ship, and immediately the wind ceased. Ah, 
had we been there, should we not have done as did all in 
the vessel; should we not have fallen at His feet and 
worshiped Him, saying : " Of a truth, Thou art the Son 
of God?" 

Soon after, they reached the western shore, to which 
they were bound. Our Lord's presence becoming speedily 
known to the men of the place, they not only spread the 
news abroad, but even took pains to collect and bring 
together the sick of the surrounding country that they 
might be healed by Him. "They sent out," says the 
evangelist, "into all that country round about, and brought 
unto Him all that were diseased, and besought Him that 
they might only touch the hem of His garment," It 
would seem also that, not content with bringing them to 
Him, they followed Him as He proceeded on His journey ; 

* Trench " On Miracles," page 228. 



420 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

" For they began to carry about in beds those that were 
sick, where they heard He was." Of these sick, multi- 
tudes were healed • many by the simple life-giving contact 
which, as has already been seen, was so efficacious in the 
case of the woman with the issue of blood. "As many 
as touched Him were made whole." 

The general design of these miracles is obvious. They 
were doubtless intended, primarily, to strengthen the faith 
of the apostles who had been so recently, for a season, 
separated from their Master. They needed a fresh dem- 
onstration of His power to protect and provide for them ; 
they needed new proof of His faithful, vigilant care even 
when He was absent from them. Above all, it was in- 
tended, by such repeated outcomings of His divine power 
and glory, to enlarge and elevate their conception of His 
person and office. 

These miracles of our Lord had, moreover, a still wider 
scope and significance. They had a high symbolical 
meaning ; they were, in fact, acted parables. In regard 
to the first, this is beyond question ; for our Lord Himself 
has, as we shall see, fully set forth its symbolical meaning. 
Taking the hint from His exposition of the first miracle, 
it is not difficult for us to trace out the full force of the 
other. Both will appear in their proper place in the fol- 
lowing chapter. 



CHAPTER II. 
OUE LORD'S DISCOURSE IN CAPERNAUM. 

JESUS REBUKES THE MULTITUDE FOR THEIR SELFISHNESS — HE DECLARES 
HIMSELF THE LIVING BREAD — THE SYMBOLICAL MEANING OF THE 
MIRACLE OF FEEDING THE MULTITUDE — SYMBOLICAL MEANING OF 

THE MIRACLE OF WALKING ON THE SEA AND STILLING THE TEMPEST 

THE EFFECT PRODUCED UPON THE JEWS BY OUR LORD'S DISCOURSE 

DISAFFECTION OF SOME OF HIS DISCIPLES — HE FOREWARNS THEM OF 
GREATER TRIALS OF THEIR FAITH — PETER'S CONFESSION — THE PHARI- 
SEES COMPLAIN TO JESUS OF HIS DISCIPLES — HE UNMASKS THEIR 
HYPOCRISY — HE SETS FORTH THE TRUE DOCTRINE OF RELIGIOUS 
PURITY. 

John vi. 22-66. Matthew xv. 1-20. Mark vii. 1-22. 

The multitude, having been sent away by our Lord at 
night-fall, after the miracle of the loaves and the fishes, 
appear to have remained in the neighborhood. Observing 
ft that Jesus went not with His disciples into the boat," they 
seem to have expected to find Him, on the following day, 
somewhere in the vicinity. Disappointed in this, they 
took boats, and crossing the lake, sought for Him. They 
at length found Him at Capernaum. This appears to 
have occasioned them some surprise, for they immediately 
inquired of Him: "Rabbi, when earnest Thou hither?" 

Without answering their question, He proceeded to 
rebuke them for their mercenary motives in seeking Him. 
" Yerily, verily, I say unto you," was His language, " ye 
seek Me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because 
ye did eat of the loaves and were filled. Labor not for 



422 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which en- 
dureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall 
give unto you- for Him hath God the Father sealed." 
He had given them bread to nourish their bodies; He 
had thus ministered to their temporal life ; now He inti- 
mates that He can give them food which will impart life 
spiritual and everlasting. 

This grand truth He soon takes occasion to enunciate 
fully. The people require of Him, in attestation of His 
divine authority, a new and still more mighty miracle, 
such as was wrought by Moses in the desert when he fed 
their fathers with manna. Jesus, in reply, denies that 
Moses gave the people bread from heaven. " My Father 
giveth you the true bread from heaven ; for the bread of 
God is He that cometh down from heaven and giveth life 
unto the world. I am the bread of life : he that cometh 
to Me shall never hunger ; and he that believeth on Me 
shall never thirst. Yerily, verily, I say unto you, he that 
believeth on Me hath everlasting life. I am that bread 
of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness 
and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down 
from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I 
am the living bread which came down from heaven ; if 
any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever ; and the 
bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for 
the life of the world. Yerily, verily, I say unto you, ex- 
cept ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His 
blood, ye have no life in you. "Whoso eateth My flesh, 
and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life, and I will raise 
him up at the last day ; for My flesh is meat indeed, and 
My blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My flesh and 
drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me and I in him. As the 
living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father, so 
he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me." 

It is hardly necessary to suggest here, that this passage 



THE DISCOURSE AT CAPERNAUM. 423 

is one of the most important in the New Testament. Its 
meaning has been a matter of dispute in the church for 
ages. The general truth, that Christ, by His incarnation, 
death and mediation, has imparted spiritual life to a dead 
world, lies upon the surface. As natural bread, when 
eaten and assimilated, is the means of perpetuating 
bodily life, so Christ, received by faith, is the means, or 
rather the cause, of spiritual life. He is the cause ; for 
the reason that there is this difference between Christ 
and natural bread : the latter has no life in itself to im- 
part to a dead subject, but must be assimilated by a 
living organism; Christ, on the other hand, is "living 
bread," quickening and assimilating the subject who re- 
ceives Him. Those who receive His flesh and blood pass 
into His body, and become His living members. In giv- 
ing Himself to the world, then, Christ imparts to men 
His own nature, His life, His spirit ; and in doing this, 
He assimilates them to Himself; they dwell in Him ; 
they become one with Him. 

We are now prepared to see the symbolical force of the 
miracle of feeding the multitude. When Christ came 
from the Father into the world, He found the human 
family wandering in the desert of sin, as sheep having 
no shepherd ; and He pitied them, and purposed in His 
gracious heart to provide them bread. As they wandered 
up and down, finding nought to satisfy their soul-hun- 
ger, craving life, longing for immortality, crying out for 
peace and salvation, suddenly they heard a mighty voice, 
saying to them, " I am the bread of life. He that cometh 
to Me shall never hunger ; he that believeth on Me shall 
never thirst ;" and as many as came, cried out in rapture : 
" Oh taste and see that the Lord is gracious." Jesus 
spreads a feast for mankind in the wilderness of this 
world, as He spread one for the multitude in the des- 
ert place. And as He brake the loaves and the fishes, 



424 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

and breaking, multiplied them until there was "bread 
enough and to spare • " so also brake He His own body on 
the tree, and breaking, multiplied it as the "Bread of 
God," so that there is a sufficiency for all : whosoever 
will may come and* partake freely, " without money and 
without price." 

Turning now to the other miracle, that of walking on 
the sea, and stilling the tempest, we shall find it also, as 
a symbol, full of instruction and comfort. That lonely 
ship on the wild, tempestuous sea, struggling in the dark- 
ness with waves which seem about to engulf it, is the 
church which the Master has launched upon the billows 
of time. Amidst all its perils, He watches over it from 
the mount of God, whither He has gone to make inter- 
cession for us. We see Him not; but He never loses 
sight of us. In the hour of distress and danger, when 
exhausted and ready to perish, He comes to us, walking 
serenely on the tempestuous sea. At first we do not per- 
ceive Him to be our Deliverer, and we cry out in dismay, 
as at the approach of a new and greater peril. Then, by 
His Spirit, He makes Himself known : He comes Himself 
on board and stills the tempest, and immediately all is 
peace, and we are safely at the land. 

Is not this the history of the church hitherto ? Has 
she not been tempest-tossed and wave-beaten for these 
eighteen hundred years. During the storm of persecu- 
tion, and the dread night of apostasy, when the clouds 
veiled the heavens and darkness covered the earth, she 
labored painfully among the surges, but she did not sink. 
Never did her Divine Lord fail to watch over her, or to 
come to her, at the fourth watch of the night, calming 
the tempest and speaking words of cheer: "It is I; be not 
afraid." Then the dawn of peace, the morning of refor- 
mation, broke in blissful light over land and sea. And so 
will it be to the end of time. He whose word is sure, 



THE DISCOURSE AT CAPEBNAUM. 425 

hath given her this pledge of safety : " Lo, I am with 
you always, even unto the end of the world." * 

Not less sure and sweet is the revelation of Christ to 
the individual believer in the time of darkness and sor- 
row. Many a storm has he passed through ; but every 
one has been glorified by the presence of the Redeemer. 
Many more may await him, but he need not fear. His 
trust is in One who treads the wildest billows into a sea 
of glass, and who hushes the roar of the tempest into the 
murmuring of the evening zephyr. One more night of 
trial, at least, must come to all ere the voyage of life is 
ended. We are sailing right into the darkness of the un- 
known sea of death. Yet we will not fear. Our Deliv- 
erer will come to us even there. Beautiful will be His 
feet upon the sullen waves; sweet will be the sound of 
His voice through the gloom, saying to us : " It is I ; be 
not afraid ; " and then the morning of eternity will break 
in beauty over- the purple shores of the Canaan that we 
love. 

Eeverting now, before we close, to our Lord's discourse 
in general, we observe that it produced startling and 
seemingly disastrous effects. The mysterious nature of 
the truths He set forth, and the boldness of His claims 
in behalf of His divine nature and power, created great 
perplexity and irritation among the Jews, Indeed, the 
whole scene would appear to have been of the most ex- 
citing character. Now murmurs of dissent arose from 
the astonished auditory ; now they broke out into angry 
dispute over our Lord's declarations ; and it would even 
seem that some indulged in threats of violence. It is 
certain that a malignant hostility was evinced on the part 
of the Jews ; for it settled the purpose of Jesus to remain 
in Galilee. u He would not walk in Jewry ; because the 

* Matthew xxviii. 20. 



426 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

Jews sought to kill Him." It had become evident that 
as soon as He appeared in Judea, active measures would 
be taken for His destruction. 

It is somewhat remarkable that the ill-feeling excited 
by our Lord's discourse, extended beyond the unbelieving 
Jews, to His immediate followers. Many of His disciples 
said of some of His declarations : " This is an hard say- 
ing, who can hear it?" Nor was this the worst: they 
"went back and walked no more with Him." They were 
probably influenced, in part by the growing evidences of 
a wide-spread popular disaffection, and in part by what 
probably seemed to them a decided tendency to mere 
fanaticism in the teachings of Jesus. 

Observing this tendency on the part of His disciples, 
Jesus takes occasion, not to abate any of the high claims 
which had offended them, but to suggest to them that still 
greater mysteries than any involved in the doctrines 
just enunciated were to be unfolded in the course of 
His mission. He further plainly intimates that their per- 
plexity is altogether due to their unbelief. These great 
truths were spiritual, and to be spiritually discerned. 
Some of the disciples comprehended not, because there 
were some of them that believed not. Seizing now upon 
the occasion afforded to test the faith and devotion of the 
Twelve, He asks, "Will ye also go away?" Simon Peter 
as the spokesman of the rest, answers with his usual 
promptitude, and with a fulness of faith and zeal which 
his late experience of his Master's divine power and love 
had largely increased, "Lord, to whom shall we go? 
Thou hast the words of eternal life : and we believe, and 
are sure that Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living 
God." The day-dawn of eternal truth had risen upon the 
soul of Peter; for he believed. His Master accepts his 
confession of faith ; but, that the Twelve may be upon 
their guard against self-confidence, He warns them that 



THE DISCOURSE AT CAPERNAUM. 427 

there is a deadly unbelief among them which will yet 
work out a dreadful apostasy. Even now, though they 
were chosen of Him, one of their number was a child of 
Satan. 

While our Lord's immediate followers were thus evinc- 
ing the weakness of their faith, His sworn enemies, the 
Pharisees, were untiring in their efforts to find occasion 
for prejudicing the people against Him. They soon found 
what, with their rigid adhesion to ceremonial usages and 
the tradition of the elders, seemed a just cause of com- 
plaint. Some of them, who with certain of the scribes 
had come down from Jerusalem, — doubtless on this very 
business, — following the multitudes, and watching the 
movements of our Lord and His disciples, observed some 
of the latter eating "with defiled or unwashen hands." 
Eegarding Jesus as responsible for the conduct of His 
disciples, they assumed that this violation of their laws 
was by His instruction, and demanded the reason ; "Why 
walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the 
elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?" Instead 
of giving them an answer, Jesus with great boldness re- 
bukes them as hypocrites, applying to them the words 
of Isaiah : " This people draweth nigh unto me with their 
mouth, and honoreth me with their lips ; but their heart 
is far from me." # He declares that, with all their assump- 
tion of superior holiness, their worship was utterly vain ; 
because their teaching was absurd and wicked. "For," 
said He, "laying aside the commandments of God, ye 
hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and 
cups and brazen vessels and tables." " You lay great stress 
upon mere ceremonial purity, and yet commandments of 
the most sacred character, as for example, ' Honor thy 
father and thy mother,' you explain away on the most 

* Isaiah xxix. 13. 



428 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

trivial grounds, thus releasing children from the most 
sacred of all human obligations. Nor is this an isolated 
case : c Many such like things do ye.' " 

Aware that their sole object was to accuse Him to the 
people, he called the multitude to Him, and in the most 
unqualified terms made known to them the true doctrine 
of personal purity. " Hearken unto me every one of yon" 
said He, "and understand. There is nothing from with- 
out a man, that entering into him, can defile him: but 
the things which come out of him, those are they that 
defile the man. He that hath ears to hear let him hear." 
That is, "this is no mere rabbinical subtlety, a thing to 
be disputed about and understood by doctors alone ; it is 
a matter of simple common sense ; for any man having 
ears to hear may comprehend it. It needs no argu- 
ment to show that, in the sight of a holy God, a man 
stands or falls according to his moral purity or unclean- 
ness, and not according to his bodily or ceremonial condi- 
tion. This you might know from your own prophets, for 
one of them has told you: 'The Lord seeth not as man 
seeth ; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but 
the Lord looketh on the heart! " * 

The course pursued by Jesus gave great offence to the 
Pharisees. They felt that they had been outwitted. 
Jesus had both conclusively answered them, and pre- 
possessed the multitude in His favor. The disciples re- 
port the matter to Jesus, and He denounces the Phari- 
sees to them as "blind leaders of the blind," who were des- 
tined to be destroyed with all those who were duped by 
them. "Both," says He, "shall fall into the ditch." He 
then, in answer to Peter's inquiry, mildly rebukes His 
disciples for their obtuseness, in failing to understand so 
evident a principle, and proceeds, not so much to explain, 

*I. Samuel xvi. 7. 



THE DISCOURSE AT CAPERNAUM. 429 

as to expound His statement of the true doctrine. " Out 
of the heart of man/' says He, "proceed evil thoughts, 
adulteries, fornications, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, 
deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, fool- 
ishness ; these are the things which defile a man ; but to 
eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.'' 



CHAPTER III. 

THE SYRO-PHENICIAN WOMAN. 

JESUS RETIRES FOR REPOSE TO THE BORDERS OP TYRE — THE WOMAN OF 
SYRO-PHENICIA — SHE APPLIES TO JESUS — THE DISCIPLES BEG HIM TO 
SEND HER AWAY — OUR LORD'S RECEPTION OF THE WOMAN — THE 
MEANING OF OUR LORD'S WORDS — LUTHER'S COMMENT — JESUS GRANTS 
THE WOMAN'S REQUEST — THE NARRATIVE ILLUSTRATES THE POWER 
OF PRAYER — THE PHILOSOPHICAL OBJECTION TO THE USE OF PRAYER 
INVALID — WHAT PREVAILING PRAYER MUST BE — THE NARRATIVE 
SHOWS THE POWER OF FAITH — RELATION OF FAITH TO PRAYER. 

Matthew xv. 21-28. Mark vet. 24-30. 

The part of our Lord's history on which we now enter, 
first presents Him to our view as exhausted by His inces- 
sant labors in preaching the kingdom of God, in the cities 
and villages of Galilee ; for this, we conjecture, was the 
reason of His withdrawing from the multitude and seek- 
ing temporary seclusion in the northern extremity of 
Palestine, near the borders of Tyre and Sidon. There, 
says the evangelist, " He entered into a house, and would 
have no man know it; but He could not be hid." 
Though the Son of man needed rest, He could not enjoy 
it. He was too well known. He was too closely watched. 
Even under the shadow of Mount Lebanon, His retreat 
was soon found out, for the fragrant ointment bewrayeth 
itself. In that secluded spot there was one poor suf- 
ferer, — or rather one blessed saint, — who was attracted to 
the Divine Eedeemer. The interview between this wo- 



TEE SYROPHENICIAN WOMAN. 431 

man and Jesus, recorded by two of the evangelists, is very 
touching and instructive. 

"A certain woman," — thus the story begins. She is for 
us without a name ; and all we know of her life is what 
we find in six or eight verses of the evangelists. And 
yet, she comes before us with an individuality so strongly 
marked and interesting, that we feel better acquainted 
with her than with almost any other woman mentioned 
in the New Testament. 

A few circumstances of great importance to the effect 
of the narrative are incidentally disclosed. She was a 
woman of Canaan. She was not only a Gentile, but she 
belonged to the accursed race that God had doomed to 
utter destruction. Mark tells us that she was a Syro- 
phenician by nation, and a Greek ; by which we under- 
stand no more than that she was of Phenician blood and 
by religion a heathen. She belonged to the same race 
with the Tyrians, Sidonians and Carthaginians, — a race 
which was in ancient times very widely spread ; having 
had colonies even in Spain and Britain, and which thus, 
it may be, contributed a not insignificant rill to the great 
stream of our Anglo-saxon blood. 

There she had dwelt within sight of the snows and 
cedars of Lebanon; and, — what was of more importance, 
— in the neighborhood of the worshipers of Jehovah. 
Doubtless she had heard much concerning the true God ; 
and it is evident that she had already ceased to be an 
idolator. It is probable too, that she had heard some- 
thing of Jesus the Prophet of Nazareth. Reports of His 
mighty miracles and of His wonderful sayings must have 
come across the borders. Having a prepared and sus- 
ceptible heart, she believed in Him even before she saw 
Him. So much is implied in her coming to Him. 

This woman was in deep affliction. Her daughter was 
suffering under a strange and terrible disease which was 



432 THE LIFE OE CHEIST. 

not uncommon in that age and country. She was, ac- 
cording to Matthew, grievously vexed with a devil ; Mark 
has it, she had an unclean spirit. Medicine offered no 
remedy for such a malady ; help could come from God 
alone. The mother's heart was agonized: — what to do 
for her child ? 

She heard, we know not how, that Jesus was in the 
neighborhood ; and something told her that He was the 
Physician to whom she must go. But she must, one would 
think, have had a sore conflict before she gathered up 
courage to come to the Saviour. Some such train of 
thought as the following, must have passed through her 
mind : u Well, Jesus the Nazarene Prophet, they say, has 
come ; He is yonder, just over the border. Now is the 
time to seek relief for my poor child. It is reported that 
He has healed many demoniacs in Galilee • and that He 
is all gentleness and compassion, and never frowns upon 
a supplicant. I will go and beseech Him to heal my 
daughter. But, stay; I am a Gentile — a Canaanite. I 
belong to an accursed race. He is a Jew. Will He re- 
ceive me ? Will He not turn away from the prayer of a 
poor heathen mother like me ? How can I go ? But my 
child, my darling daughter ! I must, I will make the at- 
tempt, I can but be denied ; and my heart tells me that 
He is too good, too merciful to refuse the prayer of a 
broken-hearted mother." 

She went, Jesus chanced to be in the highway. She 
did not at first venture near His person, but cried out to 
Him from a distance. She probably felt unworthy to ap- 
proach Him ; and, perhaps, something of womanly timid- 
ity kept her back. But she was in earnest ; and her 
first words disclosed an intensity of desire and a burden 
of sorrow, such as a human heart can not long bear with- 
out breaking :— " Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of 
David ! My daughter is grievously vexed with a deviL" 



THE SYKO-PHENICIAN WOMAN. 433 

She acknowledges Jesus as the Son of David ; that is to 
say. the Messiah. She offers her prayer to Him as the 
Christ of God, — the promised King of Israel. Where did 
she get her faith ? — " Have mercy on me ! " See how she 
makes her daughter's misery her own. 

To this prayer Jesus answers not a word. Neither does 
He give her any external sign of encouragement. Yet 
she is not disheartened, but continues to cry, "Have 
mercy on me." The disciples are at length annoyed. 
Here is a scene, — in the highway too. This poor heathen 
woman fills the air with her cries. The affair is growing 
indecorous and disagreeable. "Send her away/' they 
rather petulantly suggest to their Master, — "Send her 
away, for she crieth after us." Give her an answer; 
either grant or deny her request, that her clamorous 
importunity may cease. 

" I am not sent," was the reply, " but to the lost sheep 
of the house of Israel." Startling words ! was our Lord's 
mission then limited to the Jews ? Yes, His personal 
ministry, except in a few cases clearly marked as excep- 
tions, was confined to the children of the covenant. He 
was first to be a minister of the circumcision, to confirm 
the promise made unto the fathers. Now and then, in- 
deed, as the cloud of mercy passed over the chosen peo- 
ple, some drops fell on the Gentiles ; but the way was 
not yet prepared for the indiscriminate offer of redemp- 
tion to the nations. The Jewish mind had been in the 
process of training for many ages for the express purpose 
of receiving life and light from the incarnate word, and 
imparting them to the Gentiles. Therefore Jesus Him- 
self was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house 
of Israel. 

But why did our Lord, on this particular occasion, de- 
clare the limitation of His mission ? We shall see. The 

disciples understand that the woman's prayer is denied : 

28 



434 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

but she is encouraged by what silences them. She comes 
near ; she falls at His feet ; she worships Him. This 
Gentile mother knows to whom she makes her prayer. 
Jesus is to her, infinitely more than a mere man ; more 
even than the Son of David; He is her Lord and her 
God ; she adores Him ; and He neither reproves her, nor 
declines the worship which she offers Him. He is silent. 
The prostrate supplicant puts all a mother's heart and all 
a Christian's faith into one sentence : " Lord, help me ! " 
This expresses all, — her misery, her helplessness, her 
yearning desire, her trust in Christ. Surely she will now 
receive a gracious answer ! Jesus, the burden-bearer of 
all humanity, cannot resist an appeal like this ! But 
what is it we hear ? " Let the children first be filled \ for 
it is not meet to take the children's bread and cast it to 
dogs !" Alas ! are these the words of Him of whom it is 
written, " He shall not break the bruised reed, nor quench 
the smoking flax?"* Is it like Him who is meek and 
lowly in heart, to call an afflicted mother, pleading for 
the life and salvation of her child, a dog ? Is it like 
Jesus, the Friend of sinners, to thrust away a poor sup- 
pliant at His feet with words of contempt and abhorrence ? 

Somehow the woman herself saw neither severity nor 
discouragement in this answer. Evidently there is a 
secret understanding between our Lord and this Gentile. 
One is almost ready to believe that His looks contra- 
dicted His words ; that He spoke to her with such a gra- 
cious smile, that she was encouraged to keep on pleading. 

Yet there was a great truth in what He said. The 
blessings of Messiah's kingdom, — miracles of healing and 
heavenly doctrine, — were as yet the children's bread ; 
they belonged, as yet, to the children of Abraham ; for 
the time had not come to spread the feast for all. This 

* Isaiah xlii. 3. 



THE SYRO-PHENICIAN WOMAN. 435 

the supplicant understands; but she is far from being- 
disheartened. In the beautiful language of another: — 
" Many, even if they had persevered thus far, would now 
have gone away in anger or despair. Not so this woman. 
She, from the very word which seemed to make most 
against her, w T ith the ready wit of faith, drew an argu- 
ment in her own favor. She entangled the Lord — Him- 
self most willing to be so entangled, — in His own speech. 
'Yes, Lord; yet the dogs under the table eat of the 
children's crumbs.' Upon these words, Luther, who has 
dwelt on all the circumstances of this little history with 
a peculiar love, and w T ho seems never w r eary of extolling 
the mighty faith of this woman, exclaims : ' Was not that 
a master-stroke ? She snares Christ in His own words.' 
Didst thou say ( dogs V It is well ; I accept the title and 
the place ; for the dogs are attached to the household, 
and have a portion of the meal, not the first, not the 
children's portion, but still — a portion — the crumbs which 
fall from the table. In this very statement of the case 
Thou bringest us heathen, Thou bringest me within the 
circle of the blessings which the Divine Householder dis- 
penses to His family. We also belong to His household, 
though we occupy the lowest place in it. According to 
thine own showing, I am not wholly an alien. I abide by 
this name, dog, therefore, I claim the crumbs." # Thus 
ends the argument. 

Oh, could w T e have witnessed what followed ! Suddenly 
the Sun of Divine Love, which had been under momentary 
eclipse, broke forth, and shone full on the Syro-Phenician 
mother. " woman," said Jesus, " great is thy faith ; be 
it unto thee even as thou wilt. Go thy way ; the devil 
is gone out of thy daughter." Oh, joy to thee, thou 
"precious winner!" Hasten to thy house, — now again 



'Trench on Miracles, page 271. 



436 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

thy sweet home, — and fold thy daughter in thine arms. 
She shall be to thee a living memorial of that blessed 
moment when thou didst prevail with the Son of David, 
to antedate the day of salvation to the Gentiles; when 
thou didst receive from His hands, not a crumb, but a full 
loaf, even according to the utmost desire of thy heart. 
We shall doubtless hear more of the story of thy Saviour's 
goodness and thine exceeding gladness, when we meet 
thee, "some summer morning," on the other side of Jordan. 

This narrative displays, in the clearest light, the blessed 
truth that God hears the prayers of the humble and needy. 
The frigid, self-styled philosopher, his face sharpened into a 
cynical sneer, tells us that prayer may possibly benefit the 
supplicant himself; but that it is absurd to suppose that 
it will have any persuasive influence on the unchangeable 
Ruler of the world, or make any difference in the course of 
events. The world is governed by invariable laws which 
can never be set aside in accordance with the requests of 
puny insects like men. And so the spruce objector goes 
his way, leaving us, as he imagines, utterly confounded. 

We could have told him that the philosophy of which 
he boasts, is puerile and delusive ; that the unchangeable- 
ness of God is the unchangeableness of a persox, self- 
conscious, intelligent, free, benevolent, and therefore an 
unchangeableness in itself an encouragement to prayer ; 
that the laws of nature are living and flexible, yielding to 
the impulses not only of the Infinite Will but also of crea- 
ture-wills ; and therefore interposing no obstacle to the be- 
stowment of benefits in answer to prayer; that prayer 
was from the beginning ordained by God as a means for 
accomplishing His sovereign purposes, and that therefore 
the government of the world could not go on without it : 
we could have told the objector all this and more. 

But we gladly shun the thorny maze of metaphysics, 
and at once silence all cavils and remove all misgivings 



THE SYBO-PHENICIAN WOMAN. 437 

by pointing to Jesus, the Kedeemeiy who came into the 
world to manifest the Father's heart, saying: "He that 
hath seen Me hath seen the Father." We remind you that 
at all times He encouraged the poor, the sinful, and the 
sorrowing to come to Him as supplicants. In vain do you 
tell us of a God immutably cold and indifferent to the 
wants and sorrows of men, while we see Jesus, cleansing 
the kneeling leper, opening the eyes of importunate 
Bartimeus, healing the centurion's servant, raising from 
the dead the daughter of Jairus, restoring the dumb 
but eloquent paralytic, assuring the weeping Magda- 
len of forgiveness, and saying to the penitent, praying 
thief, "This day shaft thou be with Me in Paradise." 
Especially, on this occasion, I lead the objector to that 
memorable spot on the borders of the benighted Gentile 
world, where the Saviour of mankind said to a poor, 
nameless heathen woman : " Be it unto thee even as 
thou wilt." Yes ; I point to Him who never turned away 
a supplicant, and exclaim: "Behold, my God! Lo, He 
heareth prayer!" Whole volumes of metaphysical de- 
monstrations shall weigh lighter against one such fact as 
this, than the dust of the summer threshing-floor against 
great mountains. And all the philosophers in the world, 
leagued with the subtlest spirits of darkness, shall not 
rob my heart of its faith in this promise, — " Ask and ye 
shall receive ; seek and ye shall find ; knock and it shall 
be opened unto you ; for every one that asketh receiveth ; 
and he that seeketh findeth ; and to him that knocketh 
it shall be opened." 

This narrative teaches us what kind of prayer is sure 
to prevail with God. Strange that we should be sent 
to school to this Syro-Phenician woman, to learn how 
to pray; but if any human being ever understood the 
art, she understood it; and she is still, after the lapse 
of eighteen hundred years, the model supplicant. 



438 - THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

What first strikes us is, that she was in earnest. She 
came to Jesus with a heart burdened with a great sor- 
row and a great desire. She is too much in earnest to 
pay any attention to the proprieties of style ; she never 
thinks of liturgical etiquette ; her prayer is abrupt, im- 
passioned, agonizing; she cries out after Christ, in the 
public way; she follows after Him, still crying, "have 
mercy on me, Lord ! " She draws near Him, in her 
anguish of spirit ; she falls at His feet; she worships Him. 
She has one thing to ask, and in asking for that she em- 
ploys no artifice of language, but rather 

The simplest form of speech 
That infant lips can try. 

Thus it is that prevailing prayer is always offered. 
The petition which goes up from a heart breaking with 
its own unutterable longing, pierces the heavens. There 
is an energy in holy desire which makes the prayer 
prompted by it irresistible. 

It is sometimes said that the highest acts of prayer are 
marked by serene tranquility of spirit ; that the agony of 
painful desire belongs to a low, not to say morbid spirit- 
ual state ; that perfect acquiescence in the divine will 
would preclude wrestling at the throne of grace ; that un- 
wavering faith would keep the heart free from solicitude 
and sorrow, even though the particular blessing sought 
for should be withheld. Whatever grains of truth may 
be contained in such speculations, the view, as a whole, 
is at. war with Scripture and the facts of Christian ex- 
perience. Our blessed Lord was sinless and perfect, yet 
when He prayed in the garden, He was in an agony, and 
sweat, as it were, great drops of blood falling down to 
the ground. The holiest men whom the church has ever 
held in her communion, — we speak with reverence, — 
have drunk of the cup of Christ ; each has had his Geth- 



THE SYRO-PHENICIAN WOMAN. 439 

seraane ; each has had moments of awful anguish, when 
his soul seemed exceedingly sorrowful even unto death. 

The Syro-Phenician woman is an example of faith. It 
is this which Jesus Himself commends : u woman, great 
is thy faith" Her faith indeed was very extraordinary. 
Her very coming to Jesus was an act of heroic faith ; for 
she came not only without an invitation or a promise, but 
in the face of fearful discouragements. Somehow she had 
gained a firm persuasion that He was both able and willing 
to help her. She believed beforehand in His love to her, 
a poor Gentile mother ; and this was great faith indeed. 

This faith of hers grew stronger, and shone more 
brightly through the progress of a trial which would 
have utterly extinguished that of any ordinary believer. 
When she came to Jesus she was not encouraged by gra- 
cious looks and words; but she prayed. He answered 
her not a word ; but she prayed. He spoke at last in 
words apparently calculated to extinguish all her hopes ; 
but she prayed. He called her a dog; but still she 
prayed and made that very name the ground of her final, 
triumphant appeal Thus her faith grew stronger by the 
discouragements it encountered. 

Now this faith is what makes prayer mighty and vic- 
torious; for it is this alone which brings us into that 
living sympathy with God in which lies the possibility 
and prevailing power of prayer. The prayer of faith is 
importunate and persevering, unselfish and without re- 
gard to iniquity ; it draws its arguments from the Word 
and promise of God ; it appeals to His love and compas- 
sion ; it makes mention of His holy Name, and seeks His 
glory ; it pleads the merits of the ascended and ever-liv- 
ing High Priest, and rests in His gracious intercession. 
In a word, it offers the effectual fervent prayer of the 
righteous man which availeth much. So prayed the 
Syro-Phenician woman. Lord, teach us thus to pray! 



CHAPTER IV. 

JOURNEY THROUGH ZIDON AND DECAPOLIS TO THE SEA 

OF GALILEE. 

"EPHPHATHA!" — FEEDING OF THE FOUR THOUSAND — PHARISEES SEEK A 
SIGN — WARNING AGAINST THE PHARISAIC LEAVEN — HEALING OF THE 
BLIND MAN AT BETHSAIDA — PETER'S CONFESSION — JESUS FORETELLS 
HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION. 

Matthew xv. 29-39 ; xyi. 1-23. Mark vn. 31-37 ; Tin. 1-38. Luke ix. 18-27. 

After the events narrated in the last chapter, there 
was, in that region, no longer any seclusion or repose for 
our Lord; and He therefore continued His journey. There 
seems good reason for believing that His route led first 
northward, through the territory of Zidon ; thence along 
the southern slope of Lebanon, and under the shadow of 
the snowy Hernion, to the Jordan,* which He crossed, and, 
passing southward through Decapolis, reached the 'lake 
of Gennesaret, on its eastern shore. How long He wan- 
dered among those mountain solitudes is not recorded; 
but the motive which prompted the journey is obvious. 
He sought rest. There is, besides, abundant evidence 
that Jesus loved the mountains. While we do not at- 
tribute to Him the sentiment which, in our own age, 
hungers for grand and beautiful scenery as for the bread 
of life, we doubt not that the Son of Man delighted in 
those objects and aspects of the material world which 

*This view rests on Tischendorf s text of Mark vii. 81. "Departing 
from the coasts of Tyre He came through Zidon to the Sea of Galilee." 



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liilliPll'i''': 1 I'ii 1 1" ,i "i.i' i i I l i ->i \ 



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■ 



JOURNEY THROUGH ZIDON AND DECAPOLIS. 441 

especially displayed the wisdom, power, and majesty of 
God. We doubt not that the mountain air invigorated 
His worn and weary body; and that the sight of alpine 
heights, clothed with primeval forests or crowned with 
perpetual snow, refreshed and gladdened His heart. It 
is probable that He improved the opportunity offered by 
these days of seclusion, to instruct His disciples more per- 
fectly in the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. 

The region called Decapolis, — originally a small terri- 
tory lying to the east, and south-east of Lake Gennesaret, 
— was, in the time of Christ, a province of considerable 
extent, stretching from Damascus on the north to Phila- 
delphia on the south. It was a portion of the Holy Land 
of which the Jews, after the captivity, had failed to gain 
possession ; and which, was, in consequence, inhabited by 
Gentiles. The Ten Cities, indeed, had been rebuilt and 
partially colonized by the Komans ; and were probably 
strongholds of paganism. Jesus was, therefore, in the 
midst of Gentiles, though He seems not to have preached 
to them, or made Himself known as the Saviour of the 
world. 

It was probably when He came into that portion of 
Decapolis where He had healed the demoniac of Gadara, 
that He was recognized by the people, and was solicited 
to heal a man who was not only deaf but almost dumb. 
He was certainly not a demoniac, but a sufferer from 
disease or natural obstruction. Jesus regarded him with 
pity, but not wishing to create excitement among the 
people, already congregating, took him aside, "and put His 
fingers in his ears, and He spit, and touched his tongue : 
and looking up to heaven, He sighed, and saith unto him, 
Ephphatha, that is, Be opened." 

The sighing of Jesus and the lifting up of His eyes to 
heaven, recorded by the graphic Mark, are very suggest- 
ive and touching. They bring before our eyes the great 



44:2 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

Burden-bearer of humanity, weary of His mighty load, 
and appealing to the Father for support and consolation. 
Weary, however, as He was in carrying on His heart the 
sins and sicknesses of men, He did not turn aside from 
His work. In His own person was a fountain of healing 
virtue — a fountain inexhaustible and free. When He put 
His fingers in the deaf man's ears, the deadened nerve 
was restored \ and when He touched the infirm and stam- 
mering tongue, it spake plainly. Let deaf mutes and 
stammerers know that they are regarded by the Divine 
Physician with compassion. 

This miracle, though Jesus commanded that it should 
be kept secret, was soon noised abroad, and produced a 
prodigious excitement among the people of the region. 
"He does all things well," they said; or He makes all 
well again ; " He maketh both the deaf to hear, and the 
dumb to speak." What happened so often in Galilee, 
now occurred in Decapolis ; the multitude, hearing of 
the miracle, brought the lame, blind, dumb, and sick, and 
laid them at Jesus' feet, and He healed them all. 

The place of concourse was on the highlands overlook- 
ing the Sea of Galilee — a wilderness or desert. Jesus, 
having had the multitude with Him now three days, saw 
that many of them were hungry and ready to faint. In 
the fulness of His compassion, He provided food for four 
thousand, by miraculously multiplying seven loaves and 
a few little fishes. When all had satisfied their hunger, 
the disciples gathered seven baskets full of the fragments 
that remained. Though this miracle differs, in several 
important circumstances, from a similar one narrated in 
a recent chapter,* it calls for no special exposition. 

Having dismissed the multitude, Jesus passed over the 
lake to a place on the western coast, called Dalmanutha, 



See Chapter I., Part YIL 






JOURNEY THROUGH ZIDON AND DECAPOLIS. 443 

in the territory of Magdala .*' On His arrival, His ever- 
watchful enemies, the Pharisees, immediately assailed 
Him with ensnaring questions, desiring Him, among other 
things, to show them a sign from heaven. His answer 
was in language of fearful rebuke : " When it is evening 
ye say, It will be fair weather, for the sky is red. And 
in the morning, It will be foul weather to-day; for the 
sky is reel and lowering. ye hypocrites, ye can discern 
the face of the sky, but can ye not discern the signs of 
the times ? A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh 
after a sign ; and there shall no sign be given it, but the 
sign of the prophet Jonas." Those who were blind to 
all the overpowering proofs which Jesus had already 
given of His divine mission, but, moved by a mere appe- 
tite for marvels, demanded some stupendous but useless 
sim from heaven, should be left to their own unbelief. 
With an enigmatical hint touching His resurrection, He 
abruptly departed. 

Again taking ship, Jesus seems to have touched at vari- 
ous points along the coast, till He came to the city of 
Bethsaida. There a blind man was brought to Him to 
be healed. Having led the man out of the town, He 
anointed his eyes with saliva, put His hands on him, and 
asked him if he saw aught. " I see men," he replied, " as 
trees walking." That is to say, his vision was not yet 
clear and distinct. Jesus again put His hands on his 
eyes, and bade him look up. The cure was complete. 

The miracle, in this case, was doubtless instantaneous ; 
but the man's own consciousness was so confused and his 
faith so imperfect, that he had not, at once, the full use 
of his restored organ. That the cure proceeded, in this 

*It is assumed by some writers, I know not on what grounds, that Jesus 
having touched at Dalmanutha, sailed to Capernaum, and that there His 
interview with the Pharisees took place. It seems probable to me that, at 
this time, our Lord avoided Capernaum. 



444 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

case, as in all others, from the healing virtue in the person 
of Christ, is apparent from the laying on of His hands 
and the application of His saliva to the diseased parts. 

From Bethsaida Jesus seems to have journeyed to 
Cesarea Philippi. This city, named by Herod the Great 
Cesarea, in honor of Augustus Csesar, and by Herod's son, 
the tetrarch Philip, Cesarea Philippi, partly after himself, 
was situated on a limestone terrace at the foot of Mount 
Hermon, at the easternmost and most important of the 
sources of the Jordan. Says Josephus, "Herod, having 
accompanied Csesar to the sea and returned home, erected 
him a beautiful temple of white marble, near the place 
called Panium. This is a fine cavern in a mountain ; un- 
der which there is a great cavity in the earth ; and the 
cavern is abrupt, and very deep and full of water. Over 
it hangs a vast mountain ; and under the mountain rise 
the springs of the river Jordan." # Dr. Robinson's de- 
scription is also well worth quoting : " The situation is 
unique, combining in an unusual degree the elements of 
grandeur and beauty. It nestles in its recess at the 
southern base of the mighty Hermon, which towers in 
majesty to an elevation 7000 or 8000 feet above. The 
abundant waters of the glorious fountain spread over the 
terrace luxuriant fertility, and the graceful interchange 
of copse, lawn and waviug fields." t 

It was near this city that an important conversation 
between Christ and His apostles occurred. As He was 
praying in a secluded place, He asked them, "Whom do 
men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" The disciples, — 
who doubtless mingled more freely with the people than 
their Master, — replied: "Some say that Thou art John 
the Baptist ; some, Elijah ; and others, Jeremiah, or one 
of the prophets." Doubtless they correctly reported the 

* Joseph. Antiq., chap, xv., page 10, section B. 
f Robinson's Researches, volume 3, page 404. 



JOURNEY THROUGH ZIDON AND DECAPOLIS. 445 

various opinions they had heard expressed ; and doubt- 
less those opinions indicated the kind of impression which 
Jesus had made on the popular mind. That Jesus was not 
only a prophet but much more than a common prophet, 
the people had no doubt ; they did not, however, believe 
in Him as the Messiah, but rather as a forerunner of the 
Messiah. As Elijah was to come before the Christ, some 
were inclined to believe that he had appeared in Jesus. 
Others, fancying perhaps that they discerned in Jesus a 
tenderness and sorrow more in keeping with the spirit of 
the weeping prophet, thought he was Jeremiah. Still 
others — and probably, the larger number — did not hesi- 
tate to avow the conviction that He was John the Baptist 
risen from the dead. Their Messiah was to be a conquer- 
ing prince, rather than a lowly prophet and healer ; and 
they therefore regarded Jesus as one sent to prepare his 
way before him. Our Lord well knew how little He was 
understood by the multitude ; but the time had come for 
Him to elicit from His own immediate followers an ex- 
plicit confession of their faith. Therefore He said to 
them: "But whom say ye that I am?'" It is not quite 
certain that all the apostles would have been ready with 
an answer, if Peter had not, as usual, spoken for them. 
That they believed Him to be the Christ is certain ; but 
that they all had a clear and definite faith in His divinit}^ 
is doubtful. Perhaps this was the moment when their 
adoring reverence and love crystallized into intelligent 
conviction. Peter seems to have been among the first 
to penetrate the great mystery of godliness, God mani- 
fest in the flesh. Hence his prompt reply, a Thou art 
the Christ, the Son of the living God." That he intended 
to profess his faith in Jesus as the only begotten Son of 
God — that is to say, that he intended to recognize the 
Lord as a Divine Person, is evident from the fact that 
otherwise his confession would have set forth nothing 



446 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

new — no tiling which had not been held by all the disci- 
ples from the beginning. Andrew had said to Peter at 
Bethabara, "We have found the Messiah;" and Nathaniel 
had said to Jesus Himself, " Thou art the Son of God ; 
Thou art the King of Israel." But neither Andrew nor 
Nathaniel had any definite faith in Jesus as the eternal 
Son of God incarnate ; and this was precisely what Peter 
confessed. " He saw bodily before him, in Jesus, the re- 
flection of the living God, who fills the universe, the coun- 
terpart of the Deity, notwithstanding that He, as the Son 
of man, looked more like some poor fugitive than the 
Messianic King. In this confession he goes beyond any 
conception of the Messiah which was current among 
the Jews, and far beyond it." # In fact, Peter, in these 
words, put himself beyond the pale of the existing Jew- 
ish church ; he disengaged himself from the religious 
system of the whole nation ; and he uttered, in the power 
of the Holy Ghost, and in the strength of a full and joy- 
ous faith, the great truth on which the church of the new 
covenant is built. Hence, the answer of Jesus is in words 
of exultant congratulation and benediction: "Blessed art 
thou, Simon, son of Jonas ; for flesh and blood hath not 
revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 
And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and on this 
rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall 
not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys 
of the kingdom of heaven ; and whatsoever thou shalt 
bind on earth shall be bound in heaven ; and whatsoever 
thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." 

The faith of Peter was not the fruit of human culture, 
but of immediate divine illumination. It was by super- 
natural revelation that he had been enabled to discern 
the divine in Jesus, and it was by a supernatural impulse 

*Lange's "Life of Christ, " volume 3, page 231. 



JOURNEY THROUGH Z1DON AND DECAPOLIS. 447 

that he had made this bold and explicit confession. And 
therefore does Jesus pronounce him blessed or happy. 
The name, Peter, man of rock, had been prophetically 
given him at Bethabara f but now it was applied to him 
as significant of the strength and endurance of his faith. 
Our Lord goes on to declare that on Peter, who, by virtue 
of his faith so boldly confessed was a " living stone," He 
would build His church. In fact, the apostle "was the 
first of those foundation-stones on which the living temple 
of God was built : this building itself beginning on the 
day of Pentecost by the laying of three thousand living 
stones on this foundation."! Further, our Lord gave to 
Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven ; and he was 
in fact the first to open the kingdom both to the Jews 
and Gentiles. The power of binding and loosing, signifies 
the authority given to Peter then and there representing 
all the apostles, to govern the church on earth. That 
Peter was to have any successor in his functions as a 
living foundation-stone, as the bearer of the keys, as 
binder and looser, or even as apostle, is not intimated, 
either in this or any other saying of our Lord. 

Respecting the church which should thus be built on 
Peter, our Lord declares that the gates of hell — that is to 
say, the power of the kingdom of hell — should not pre- 
vail against it. Peter, the rock, rests on the Rock of ages ; 
and the edifice built thereon shall stand forever. 

The effect of our Lord's commendation of Peter seems 
at first to have been hurtful to his humility. The very 
next incident recorded of him is that he took it upon him 
to tutor and rebuke his Master, whom he had just con- 
fessed as the Son of the living God. The occasion was 
this. Jesus, still in the region of Cesarea Philippi, a began 
to show unto His disciples that He must go unto Jeru- 



* Matthew xvi. 18. fAlford. 



448 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

salem, and suffer many things of the elders, and chief 
priests, and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the 
third day." This was what Peter could not understand 
or believe ; for he could not as yet conceive how the 
Christy the Son of the living God, should suffer and die. 
Notwithstanding his spiritual illumination, he saw divine 
things as the blind man of Bethsaida, at the moment of 
his cure, saw men as trees walking. If the prophets could 
not understand their own prevision of the sufferings of 
Christ and the glory that should follow,* it is scarcely 
surprising that Peter should have been perplexed and 
disturbed by the disclosures of Christ touching His death 
and resurrection. But his unseemly presumption in con- 
tradicting and rebuking his Master — " Be it far from Thee, 
Lord; this shall not be unto Thee" — this is amazing. 
The answer of Christ must have made the ears of the 
apostle to tingle to his dying day: "Get thee behind 
Me, Satan ; thou art an offense unto Me ; for thou savor- 
est not the things that be of God, but those that be of 
men." Turning to His disciples, He said, "If any man 
will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up 
his cross and follow Me. For whosoever will save his 
life, shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for 
My sake, shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he 
shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? or 
what shall a man give in exchange for his soul ? For the 
Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father, with 
His angels ; and then shall He reward every man accord- 
ing to his works. Verily, I say unto you, there be some 
standing here, who shall not taste of death till they see 
the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." 

The meaning of this closing prediction was made clear 
about one week after it was uttered. 

* I. Peter i. 11. 



CHAPTER V. 
THE TRANSFIGURATION. 

MOUNT HERMON — JESUS TAKES THE THREE DISCIPLES AND RETIRES TO 
THE MOUNT — OCCASION FOR THIS ACT — WHY HE CHOSE PETER, JAMES 
AND JOHN — THE TRANSFIGURATION — FORCE OF THE WORD TRANSFIG- 
URED — APPEARANCE -OF MOSES AND ELIAS ON THE SCENE — OUR LORD'S 
CONFERENCE WITH THEM — PETER'S PROPOSITION — THE OVERSHADOW- 
ING CLOUD — THE DIVINE VOICE — JESUS REJOINS THE DISCIPLES AND 
ENJOINS SECRECY UPON THEM — THE TRANSFIGURATION A REPRESENT- 
ATION OF CHRIST'S TRUE GLORY — ALSO FORESHADOWS HIS APPEARANCE 
IN HEAVEN — TRANSFIGURATION OF THE SAINTS. 

Matthew xvn 1-13. Make ix. 2-13. Luke ix. 28-36. 

On the extreme northern boundary of Palestine lies an 
extensive mountain region ; its lofty double range rising 
like a rocky barrier, between Syria and the Holy Land. 
"From the moment/' says Stanley, "that the traveler 
reaches the plain of Shechem in the interior, nay, even 
from the depths of the Jordan valley by the Dead Sea, 
the snowy heights of Hermon are visible. The ancient 
names of its double range are all significant of this posi- 
tion. It was 'Zion,' 'the upraised;' or ' Hermon,' 'the 
lofty peak;' or 'Shenir' and 'Sirion,' 'the glittering breast- 
plate of ice;' or, above all, 'Lebanon,' the Mont Blanc of 
Palestine ; the ' White Mountain ' of ancient times ; the 
mountain of the 'Old White-headed Man,' or the ' Mount- 
ain of Ice,' in modern times. So long as its snowy tops 
were seen, there was never wanting to the Hebrew poetry 

the image of unearthly grandeur, which nothing else but 

29 



450 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

perpetual snow can give, especially as seen in the sum- 
mer, when ' the firmament around it seems to be on fire.'"* 

Six days after the conversation recorded in the pre- 
ceding chapter, according to Matthew and Mark, " about 
an eight days " after, according to Luke, who, — following 
the usual Jewish phraseology, — includes the two fractions 
of days at the beginning and end of the period as full 
days, Jesus selected three of His disciples, — Peter, James 
and John, and led them up into " a high mountain apart." 
The name of the mountain is not given ; but it was most 
likely Hermon, of which we have just spoken, that being 
in the vicinity of Cesarea Philippi, where our Lord had 
been laboring. Nowhere better than in this sublime re- 
gion, could He have found a place so removed from the 
noise and bustle of the world, and so well fitted for 
spiritual contemplation, and high communing with God. 
To such places our Lord was wont, especially in the still- 
ness of the night, to retire for meditation and prayer, — 
so careful was He to exclude the world from His hours of 
devotion. 

The occasion of our Lord's withdrawal to the seclusion 
of this mountain height, was one of sublime significance. 
He had appeared among men in the form of a servant 
The fulness of the Godhead which dwelt in Him bodily 
was veiled from human view by His lowly appearance. 
On several memorable occasions, it is true, His glory, — 
"the glory as of the only begotten of the Father," had 
flashed through the veil, and been revealed to a few 
chosen witnesses. It was His purpose, however, to make 
one express revelation of that glory, altogether unique 
and wonderful. Three of the evangelists, — Matthew, 
Mark and Luke, — have given us a full and circumstantial 
account of this event. We refer to the Transfiguration. 

* Stanley's " Sinai and Palestine," page 395. 



THE TRANSFIGURATION. 451 

It may seem, somewhat extraordinary, that only three 
of the disciples were selected to be eye-witnesses of the 
glory of Christ ; and the fact becomes more remarkable, 
when we consider that these three were chosen on other 
occasions, to be witnesses of His more glorious miracles. 
They seem to have constituted the inmost circle of our 
Lord's followers and friends * they were always near His 
person, and were admitted to enjoy His more unreserved 
and confidential communications. Nor was this the re- 
sult of mere favoritism ; they were, doubtless, in a more 
advanced stage of spiritual development than their as- 
sociates ; were more in sympathy with their Master ; and 
were more enlightened and better qualified to understand 
the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. Hence, it was 
given them to witness those manifestations of His glory, 
which the others were not yet able to bear. 

Behold then our Lord with the three disciples, on the 
"holy mount," in the dimness and silence of this ever- 
memorable night; — for "it was probably night, when 
this marvellous spectacle was vouchsafed to the disciples. 
Such an assumption best explains the 'next day' of Luke 
ix. 37. This, if it was so, must have infinitely enhanced 
the grandeur of the vision; although the brightness 
doubtless was such as would have paled even the noon- 
day sun." # Let us draw near with reverence and hu- 
mility ; for a divine voice exclaims : " Put off thy shoes 
from thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is 
holy ground." f Jesus, the pure and holy, now engages in 
prayer, — fit' preparation for the glory which is to be gath- 
ered about Him. And as He prayed, He was transfigured 
before them, — the fashion of His countenance was altered, 
His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment became 
shining, exceeding white as snow, so as no fuller on earth 

* Trench's Studies on the Gospels, page 194. f Exodus iii. 5. 



452 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

can white them, — white as the light, white and glisten- 
ing." The word transfigured signifies, not a change of 
substance, but of form; as Matthew Henry says: "The 
substance of His body remained the same, but the acci- 
dents and appearances of it were greatly altered. He 
was not turned into a spirit ; but His body, which had ap- 
peared in weakness and dishonor, now appeared in power 

and glory Christ is both God and man ; but in the 

days of His flesh, He took on Him the form of a servant; 
He drew a veil over the glory of His Godhead ; but now, 
in His transformation, He put by that veil and appeared 
hi the form of God, and gave the disciples a glimpse of 
His glory, which could not but change His form." 

Proceeding with the details of the transfiguration, Luke 
says that " The fashion of His countenance was changed," 
which we might well understand as that elevated and 
heavenly expression of countenance, which the Son of 
God must have borne when in the act of communion 
with the Father, were it not that Matthew has used more 
precise and graphic words : " His face did shine as the 
sun." This can not be set aside as either metaphor or 
hyperbole. The meaning evidently is that the Saviour's 
face was illuminated from within, and shone with a sun- 
like glory. There is as yet no mention of any external 
splendor, as if His countenance shone by reflection. 
There can be no doubt that the effulgence which glori- 
fied His flesh was the out-beaming of that glory which 
He had with the Father, before the world was. And 
not only did this light radiate from His face, but also 
from His whole body, for His very raiment became white 
and glittering. Speaking of this resplendence of our 
Lord's person, Trench uses, in a recent work, the striking 
language: "All words seem weak to the evangelists; all 
images fail them here. St. Mark, whose words I have 
quoted, borrows one image from the world of nature, 



THE TKANSFIGUKATION. 453 

another from man's art and device ; by these he strug- 
gles to set forth and reproduce for his readers the tran- 
scendent brightness of that light which now arrayed, and 
from head to foot, the person of our Lord, breaking forth 
from within, and overflowing the very garments which 
He wore ; until in their eyes who beheld, He seemed to 
clothe Himself with light as with a garment, light being 
indeed the proper and peculiar garment of Deity."* 

Other persons now enter upon the scene. "There 
talked with Him two men, Moses and Elias, who ap- 
peared in glory." They evidently appeared in a bodily 
form, as glorified men. This would seem to intimate 
that they were in the resurrection state. One of them, 
we know, had been translated without seeing death, and 
was in a state equivalent to that of the resurrection. 
The other was clothed upon for the time, at least, with a 
spiritual body, so that he became visible to the disciples.t 

This was a wonderful conference. The speakers were 
Moses, the representative of the Law ; Elijah, the chief 
of the Prophets, and Jesus, in whom the Law and the 
Prophets were fulfilled. The subject on which they dis- 
coursed was His decease, which He should accomplish at 
Jerusalem. This was a theme of the deepest interest to 



* Psalms cv. 2; Habakkuk iii. 4. Studies in the Gospels, page 194. 

f Archbishop Trench, in his recent work, ( Studies in the Gospels, pages 
197, 198) has revived the ancient dispute about the body of Moses (Jude 9) : 
" We can not dismiss the question, why the two who appear should be exactly 
Moses and Elias ? It was not merely that among all the prophets and saints 
of the Old Testament these were the two, of whom one had not died, and 
the other had no sooner tasted of death than probably his body was withdrawn 
from under the dominion of death, and of him that had the power of death ; 
the two, therefore, whose apparition in glorified bodies before the day of 
resurrection had less in it perplexing than that of any others would have had." 
The suggestion is by no means new ; it may be. found, in language more 
striking and felicitous in Matthew Henry. I have not inserted it in the text 
because it struck me as more curious and fanciful than solid. 



454 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

all the prophets who had lived since the world began ; 
for they all " searched diligently, what, or what manner 
of time, the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify 
when it testified beforehand of the sufferings of Christ 
and the glory that should follow."* No wonder, there- 
fore, that the death of Christ was the theme of this mem- 
orable conference. 

Meanwhile, the three disciples gazed at the august 
scene, and listened to that celestial colloquy, till their 
mortal faculties were overpowered. They were struck 
with a kind of blessed paralysis, by the glory of the 
vision, though their senses were not locked up, nor their 
consciousness suspended. Peter, ready to speak, even in 
the presence of immortals, said to Jesus : " Master, it is 
good for us to be here ; if thou wilt, let us make here 
three tabernacles, one for Thee, and one for Moses, and 
one for Elias." In his ecstasy he would not have the glory 
vanish away ; he shrank from returning to the world ; 
there, on that mountain, where the glory of Christ's king- 
dom was manifested, he would ever dwell. 

And yet Peter spoke in a half-unconscious, ecstatic 
bewilderment. In a sort of self-forgetful humility, he 
proposes only to make tabernacles for Jesus, Moses, and 
Elias ; none for himself and his fellow-disciples. Yet, all 
humility aside, to make no provision for the proper shelter 
for himself and his earthly associates on that bleak spot 
was far from sensible • and the thought of building tents 
on the mountain top for glorified immortals was simply 
absurd. Ah, a state of mere religious ecstasy is not the 
best adapted to the practical wants or duties of this life. 
Nothing more than a passing rapture,- even though lighted 
with the actual " glory of regions celestial," is all that is 
safe for even an inspired apostle. No, Peter, you shall 

•I. Peter, i, 11. 



THE TKANSFIGUEATION. 455 

not dwell on this mountain. Though it is good to be 
here, jour duty is elsewhere. You must go down again 
into the dusty work-day world. You must toil along the 
miry way of common life for many years. You must run 
the race for an immortal garland, over an earthly course. 
The time for heavenly rest, for ecstatic enjoyment, is not 
till all this is past. 

But the thought of abiding on that mountain was sud- 
denly swept from Peter's mind. For, while he was yet 
speaking a bright cloud suddenly overshadowed them and 
concealed from their view, not only natural objects, but 
also Jesus, with Moses and Elias. This cloud, according 
to the best scholars, was a light-cloud ; that is, a cloud 
composed of light — a cloud which did not conceal objects 
by casting a shadow, but which by its intense splendor 
produced the effect of darkness. In this singular cloud 
we recognize the ancient, mysterious, supernatural symbol 
of Jehovah's presence among His people ; the pillar of 
cloud and fire in which he dwelt when guiding Israel 
through the Eed Sea and the wilderness; and the she- 
kinah which hallowed first the tabernacle and afterwards 
the temple, the chosen place of which He said : " Here 
will I dwell for I have desired it." # 

While thus overshadowed by the cloud and over- 
whelmed with awe, they heard a voice out of the cloud 
saying : a This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well 
pleased; hear ye Him." Once before, had God spoken 
from the excellent glory in attestation of Jesus as His 
beloved Son, — at His baptism ; — and now, He gives testi- 
mony in His behalf afresh, with the added injunction : 
"Hear ye Him." Thus was our Lord invested with all 
authority in heaven and earth. This voice has rendered 
all His sayings as authoritative, as if they had been 

* Psalms cxxxii. 14. 



456 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

spoken to man in a voice of thunder out of the excellent 
glory. 

When the disciples heard this voice, they fell on their 
faces and were sore afraid. But "Jesus came and touched 
them and said : Arise, and be not afraid." When at length, 
they ventured to look around them, the glorious vision 
had passed away and a they saw no man any more, save 
Jesus only, with themselves." Our Lord had resumed 
the servant form. They now descended the mountain, 
Jesus, the meanwhile charging His disciples, " that they 
should tell no man what things they had seen, till the 
Son of man was risen from the dead." This was because 
His disciples generally were not prepared to understand 
the transfiguration till Christ was raised from the dead; 
not before would they be qualified to grasp the sublime 
meaning of the vision. 

In order that we may enter into the full meaning of 
this supernatural scene, we must recall the declaration of 
our Lord one week before : — " there be some standing 
here who shall not taste of death till they see the Son of 
man coming in His kingdom." The three evangelists 
have carefully recorded this prophecy in connection with 
the vision ; and the apostle Peter speaks of u the power 
and coming of the Lord Jesus Christ" as what he had 
himself witnessed* The transfiguration therefore was 
a true though partial fulfillment of the prophecy. It 
was, in the words of Matthew Henry, " a specimen " of 
the coming and kingdom of the Lord. John the Baptist 
first and Jesus afterwards had preached the kingdom of 
God as at hand ; and this was the dominant idea in the 
minds of the disciples. Yet their conception of it was 
exceedingly erroneous. They expected that Jesus would 
ascend the throne of David, and establish a victorious 

*II. Peter i. 16-18. 



THE TRANSFIGURATION. 457 

earthly monarchy. They could not conceive of a rejected, 
suffering Messiah ; neither could they understand the real 
glory of His person and reign. Jesus therefore deter- 
mined to give the three most advanced disciples a repre- 
sentation of His kingdom and glory. Thus understood, 
the whole scene is replete with the deepest interest and 
instruction. Well meditated, it will yield us a true con- 
ception of the kingdom of Christ in its final glory. 

In the first place, let us note how every act and circum- 
stance of this representative scene is subservient to one 
great purpose, namely, to invest the Saviour with tran- 
scendent dignity and glory. He appears as the center of 
the vision. We see the very body He had assumed be- 
coming self-luminous, like the very substance of light, 
and shining with a sun-like splendor. This is very sig- 
nificant. Light has always been regarded, even by the 
heathens themselves, as the most striking symbol of the 
Divine Essence ; and God Himself has consecrated it as 
such a symbol. "God is light, and in Him is no darkness 
at all." How much there is of metaphor in this it is im- 
possible for us to know. We are certain that the glory 
which radiated from our Lord's body was the external 
manifestation of that divine fulness which dwelt in Him. 
So doubtless the three disciples regarded it. " We be- 
held His glory," says John, " the glory as of the only be- 
gotten of the Father." * 

# The following passage from Trench's "Studies in the Gospels," — a 
work published since the above was written, — will be of interest to the reader : 
" In the circumstance that His glory was not one which was lent Him, but 
His own, bursting forth as from an inner fountain of light, not merely gilding 
Him from without, not playing like that of Moses, on the skin and surface of 
His countenance ; perhaps also in its being a glory which arrayed, not His face 
alone, but His entire person, we have those tokens of superiority, those preroga- 
tives of the Master above the servant, which we are evermore able to trace even 
in matters wherein one or another of these may seem to have anticipated, and 
thus to have come into some sort of competition with Him." (Page 195.) 



458 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

There is reason to believe also that the effulgence 
which beamed from His flesh, on this occasion, was in- 
tended to represent to the three witnesses and to us, the 
permanent appearance of Christ's "glorious body" in 
heaven. We may conceive of Him as presenting to the 
view of saints and angels above, that altered fashion of 
countenance, that face shining as the sun, those garments 
white as snow, so as no fuller on earth can whiten them, — 
in a word, that transfigured humanity, which the disciples 
saw on the mount. In that same glorified body will He 
come at the last day, in the clouds of heaven, to judge 
the world and glorify His saints. And in that body will 
He dwell among them forever in New Jerusalem. 

Other circumstances concurred to show forth the glory 
of our Lord. The sudden appearance of the light-cloud 
and the voice which came forth from it, saying : " This is 
my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased: hear ye 
Him," were evidently intended to invest Him with sur- 
passing majesty. That cloud which enveloped His person 
represented the ineffable fact that in Him humanity was 
taken into God, which was confirmed by the voice de- 
claring His Divine Sonship. Besides, that voice invested 
Him with supreme Kingship. The Son of man is appointed 
Lord and Ruler of heaven and earth in the presence of 
the representatives of both. "Hear Him" — obey Him — 
is the command addressed to all the armies of heaven 
and all the inhabitants of the earth. Our Lord Himself 
doubtless refers to this high commission, when He says 
after His resurrection : " All power is given unto Me in 
heaven and in earth." Christ, therefore, in this scene is 
exhibited to us as the supreme King to whom is put in 
subjection this present world and the world to come. 
Thus is He crowned with many crowns. His name is 
above every name ; His throne above every throne. 
When we see Him, at last, it will be as King of kings, 



THE TRANSFIGURATION. 459 

and Lord of lords, reigning in human form over all the 
hosts of the redeemed, nay, over the whole universe. 
When His full-orbed glory shall be revealed to His peo- 
ple they shall sing, " Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, 
to receive power and riches, and wisdom and strength 
and honor and glory and blessing. And every creature 
in heaven, and on the earth, and such as are in the sea, 
and all that are in them will respond, saying, Blessing 
and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sit- 
teth upon the throne and to the Lamb forever." 

Further, this scene of the transfiguration may teach us 
the glorious condition of the redeemed in the kingdom 
of God. They will be made partakers of the glory of 
Christ. Moses and Elias appeared with Him in glory. 
They also entered into the cloud. They also were trans- 
figured. And a similar transfiguration awaits all the peo- 
ple of Christ. " The glory Thou hast given Me, I have 
given them," says the Saviour* St. Peter calls himself 
a imrtaker of the glory that shall be revealed. "We 
know," says John, " that when He shall appear we shall 
be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." t So also 
the apostle Paul assures us that He will fashion our vile 
body like unto His glorious body. " The first man is of 
the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from 
heaven. As is the earthy such are they also that are 
earthy ; and as is the heavenly such are they also that 
are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the 
earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." t 

It may well be suggested, in closing, that the appear- 
ance of Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration had a 
special prophetic significance. As he was rapt away from 
the earth, without tasting death, so those who shall be 
alive at the coming of the Lord, shall be changed and 

* John xvii. 22. f John iii. 2. 1 1. Corinthians xv. 47-49. 



460 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

translated. As this change could not be foreshown in 
the person of our Lord Himself, who was destined from 
eternity to be slain, and descend into the grave, it was 
necessary that it should be set forth in one or more of 
His types and forerunners. In the translation of Enoch 
and Elijah this needed prophetic symbol was given. And 
when the latter appeared on the holy mount, to wait on 
the transfigured Lord, it was to show that not only the 
resurrection of the holy dead, but the transformation and 
rapture of the living saints, should come from fellowship 
with the risen Redeemer, that in all things, He might 
have the preeminence. 



CHAPTER VI. 
JESUS HEALS THE LUNATIC CHILD. 

THE LIFE OF JESUS ONE OF CONTRASTS — A LUNATIC CHILD BROUGHT TO 
BE HEALED — THE DISCIPLES ATTEMPT THE CURE AND FAIL — JESUS 
APPEARS AND IS GREETED BY THE MULTITUDE — THE FATHER APPEALS 
TO JESUS — HE REBUKES HIS DISCIPLES AND THE PEOPLE — THE FATHER'S 
DISTRESS AND WANT OF FAITH — JESUS HEALS THE CHILD — EFFECT OF 
THE MIRACLE — WHY THE DISCIPLES FAILED TO EFFECT A CURE — 
FAITH, ITS KINDS — TRUE FAITH VITAL AND THE GROWTH OF LOVE — 
IT IS PRODUCTIVE AND POWERFUL — MEANS OF INCREASING FAITH. 

Matthew xvn. 14-21. Mark ix. 14-29. Luke ix, 37-43. 

The life of Jesus was full of wonderful contrasts. The 
natural and the supernatural, the earthly and the heav- 
enly, glory and humiliation, the divine and the human, 
were commingled in almost every scene of the wonderful 
drama. Thus it was, that while our Lord was upon the 
mount, clothed upon with a majesty ineffable, a scene cal- 
culated to bring His name and mission into dishonor and 
contempt was witnessed on the plain below. Jesus had 
disappeared from the multitude, they knew not where or 
how. Nine of the apostles, however, and many other 
disciples were there. They were doubtless engaged in 
teaching, and healing diseases, in their Master's absence. 
An afflicted father, whose only son, now a youth, was a 
lunatic, — an evil spirit of extraordinary malignity hav- 
ing superinduced on a natural malady the most fearful 
spiritual disorders, — had come to seek a cure at the hands 
of Jesus. 



462 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

Not finding the Master, he entreated the disciples to 
heal his child. They willingly made the attempt; but met 
with an ignominious failure. They were overwhelmed with 
confusion. They had doubtless called over the demoniac 
the name of Christ ; they had done it in the presence of 
a great multitude ; and that name seemed to be powerless. 
Their mortification was aggravated by the presence of 
many secret and avowed enemies, who could not conceal 
their exultation. There were certain scribes present who 
seized the occasion to question the disciples. Their ques- 
tions were doubtless malicious and insulting ; and we may 
easily imagine that to the discomfited disciples, who were 
ill qualified to cope with their antagonists in argument, 
they were highly embarrassing. They had hitherto been 
able to refute objectors by deeds ; but now they seemed 
without any resources. They stood confounded, unable 
either to understand or explain the cause of their failure. 
Their adversaries were ready to impute it to a want of 
power in Jesus himself. " Here, then," they probably rea- 
soned, "the lofty claims of the Nazarene impostor are 
publicly exposed. His former cures were either illusive, 
or were effected by natural means ; here is a case of real 
malady which mocks His power." We may well conceive 
that the multitude were in a state of intense excitement, 
wondering what the issue would be. 

Suddenly Jesus appears in the midst of them. Mark 
informs us that when " the people beheld Him they were 
greatly amazed, and running to Him saluted Him." Why 
should the people have been amazed when they saw Him ? 
The explanation is both obvious and interesting. He had 
come from high communings, and a marvellous investi- 
ture of light and majesty on the mountain. There is, 
then, reason to suppose that "His face and person yet 
glistened, with traces of the glory which had clothed 
Him there ; — traces which had not yet disappeared, nor 



HEALING OF THE LUNATIC CHILD. 463 

faded into the light of common day. When Moses de- 
scended from a lesser and typical transfiguration, his face 
shone so that the people could not steadfastly behold him, 
and were afraid to come nigh him. That was a threaten- 
ing glory; the intolerable brightness of the law. But 
the glory of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ, 
though awful, was attractive, full of grace and beauty, 
drawing men to Him, not driving them from Him."* 
Hence, the people came running to Him and saluted 
Him; not merely as one who had been temporarily ab- 
sent ; but with the spontaneous reverence which the gra- 
cious majesty of His presence was fitted to inspire. 

Seeing the scribes questioning with the disciples, He 
asked them : " What question ye with them f " This was 
as if He had said : " It is apparent that you are exulting 
over the perplexity into which you have thrown these 
weak, unlearned fishermen, my disciples ; turn now from 
the servants to the Master. What questions have you to 
propose to Me ? The scribes were silent. But there was 
one among the multitude, to whom these questions were 
of little interest; one who was burdened with weightier 
matters. In tones full of anguish he exclaimed: "Master, 
I have brought unto Thee my son, which hath a dumb 
spirit ; and wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him ; 
and he foameth and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth 
away ; and I spake to Thy disciples that they should cast 
him out ; and they could not." 

The cause of the questioning, of the perplexity of the dis- 
ciples, and of the unwonted excitement of the multitude, 
is now apparent. We seem to see the Master looking 
round upon the crowd, and especially upon His disciples 
and their adversaries, with an expression of majestic dis- 
pleasure mingled with sorrow. " faithless and perverse 

* Trench " On Miracles," pages 291, 292. 



464 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

generation/' He exclaims, "how long shall I be with you? 
How long shall I suffer you?" This reproof was doubt- 
less addressed to all who heard it ; but fell most heavily 
on the disciples. It is the language of a teacher, who has 
long borne with the perverse dulness and indocility of his 
pupils. " Have I abode with you so long, and have you 
profited so little by My teaching?" We are reminded 
of His words to Philip : " Have I been so long time with 
thee, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip ? " * There 
also seems to be in these words a distinct intimation 
that He could not leave them, to enter upon His glory, 
till they should have learned their task ; till they should 
have, as it were, acquired strength to go alone. He had 
been absent from them but a few hours, and the weak- 
ness of their faith had been demonstrated to their own 
confusion, and to the triumph of their enemies. The re- 
buke of our Lord also fell upon the father of the lunatic, 
who had addressed Him in a tone of unbelief. He did 
not even come as a supplicant, but merely narrated the 
failure of the disciples. He seems to feel that the disease 
of his child is incurable. He doubts, as plainly appears 
in the progress of the conversation, whether Jesus Him- 
self can effect a cure. No wonder, therefore, that he 
shared in the reproof as one of a faithless and perverse 
generation. Probably this man and all the multitude had 
witnessed many of our Lord's mighty miracles, and yet 
this one failure of the disciples had created general doubt 
in respect to the extent of His power. 

Our Lord now directs that the demoniac should be 
brought to Him. As the unhappy youth approaches the 
presence of the Saviour, he falls into a fearful paroxysm ; 
he is torn with convulsions ; he falls on the ground ; he 
wallows, he foams, he writhes with agony. It was the 

* John xiv. 9. 



HEALING OF THE LUNATIC CHILD. 465 

usual effect of Christ's presence on demoniacs, to bring 
on a crisis of their awful malady. The powers of hell 
recoil from contact with the heavenly and divine. We 
may suppose that the evil spirit was filled with rage and 
terror at the certainty of being expelled from his living 
habitation. His wrath was great because his time was 
short. Looking with pity on the miserable victim of Sa- 
tanic malice, Jesus asks the father, " How long is it since 
this came unto him ?" u Of a child," is the reply. And 
then the unhappy parent proceeds to picture the suffer- 
ings of the youth, who frequently, under the attacks of 
this dreadful disease, fell into the fire and into the water, 
sometimes perhaps of choice, incited by the evil spirit to 
self-destruction. "If Thou canst do anything," he adds, 
" have compassion on us and help us." The afflicted par- 
ent makes the sufferings of the child his own : — " have 
compassion on us, — help us" In this, he resembles the 
Syro-Phenician mother; — but how unlike her in faith! 
She doubted not either the power or the disposition of 
Jesus to heal her daughter; but this Jewish father is full 
of unbelief. He comes to our Lord very much as he 
would have applied to some celebrated physician : " If 
Thou canst do anything, help us." He is not sure that 
his child can be cured. He has no confidence in the un- 
limited, supernatural power of Christ; the most he can 
hope is that there is a possibility of cure. "If Thou 
canst do anything" — 0, thou of little faith! Knowest 
thou that He to whom thou speakest such words is the 
Maker of heaven and earth, the Lord of nature, the 
Giver of life, "the everlasting God who fainteth not 
neither is weary?" Speakest thou such words to Him, 
who governs the winds and the seas; who commands 
legions of angels and they come and go at His bid- 
ding? Alas, this benighted supplicant knows not that 

He whom he approaches as a physician has just been 
30 



466 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

declared by a voice on yonder mountain, God's only be- 
gotten Son ! 

Yet, though ignorant and unbelieving, he is in earnest. 
The father's heart within him is stirred to its lowest 
depths. He is ready to pray to any one who can heal 
his child. And there is also in his heart a germ of living 
faith. To quicken and develop this, our Lord, first of all 
bends His gracious purpose. "If thou canst believe, all 
things are possible to him that believeth" As if he had 
said : " there is no want of power to perform this or any 
other miracle, but there is a condition which thou must 
fulfil ere thy child can be healed. If thou canst believe, 
then I can heal." These words penetrate like a ray of 
heavenly light into the dark soul of the agonized parent ; 
he suddenly becomes conscious both of the beginning of 
faith and of the vast abyss of unbelief in his heart, and 
he cries out: "Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief." 
"Help thou my unbelief!" Thus it ever is; when a sin- 
ner believes, he is first made fully sensible of his unbelief. 
" Only in the presence of actual grace in the soul does 
any man perceive the strength and prevalence of the op- 
posing corruption. Before, he had no measure by which 
to gauge his deficiency." * This man believes, and Christ 
does help his unbelief. No wonder that at that moment 
he wept; it was the crisis, not only of his child's fate, 
but of his own. 

All this while the multitude have been streaming 
together. The very presence of Christ would have at- 
tracted them ; but the case of the lunatic had already 
enlisted the deepest interest. Our Lord seeing the con- 
course, rebuked the foul spirit, saying in a voice of divine 
authority : " Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee 
come out of him and enter no more into him." The word 

* Trench "'On Miracles," page 296. 



HEALING OF THE LUNATIC CHILD. 467 

of power which shakes the grisly principalities of hell is 
spoken. The demon, crying out and tearing the victim 
again, came out of him, and he lay as one dead. Indeed, 
the people pressing around him declared that life was 
extinct, so sore had been the struggle ere the evil spirit 
quit his usurped habitation. But Jesus came and touched 
the child with His life-giving hands, and he arose. 

We are left to imagine the joy of the father and the 
gratitude of the son. We know that the cure was perma- 
nent, for Jesus had charged the demon to enter no more 
into him. That was a remarkable day in the history of 
that nameless family, when the youth re-entered the home 
of his childhood, in the possession of restored health and 
reason, — clothed and in his right mind. The multitude 
are amazed at the mighty power of God ; and we hear no 
more of the scribes or their questionings. But the dis- 
ciples are ill at ease. They can not yet understand why 
they could not cure the child. They therefore come to 
Jesus apart from the multitude, and ask Him, " Why could 
not we cast him out?" Our Lord's answer to this ques- 
tion is one of those memorable utterances, containing 
abysses of truth which ages of thoughtful investigation 
can not fully explore; "Because of your unbelief; for 
verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mus- 
tard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain remove hence 
to yonder place, and it shall remove ; and nothing shall 
be impossible unto you." " Howbeit, this kind goeth not 
forth but by prayer and fasting." As if He had said to 
them ; " Your weakness, of which your failure to cure the 
demoniac is a mortifying proof, arises from your unbelief. 
This is indeed a difficult case ; but the smallest degree of 
true, living faith, even though no larger than a grain of 
mustard seed, can, if like the mustard seed it have a 
principle of life and growth in it, surmount all difficulties, 
can even triumph over natural impossibilities ; it can do 



468 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

all things. This last miracle required an extraordinary 
degree of faith; but even this you could have attained 
by prayer and fasting." 

That prayer should be necessary to the highest faith, 
is obvious of itself. But why is fasting demanded ? Does 
our Lord intend to recommend an ascetic life ? Certainly 
not as in itself a virtue. There is nothing meritorious in 
abstaining from meat and drink. But this abstemiousness, 
this self-mortification, is important as a means of self-dis- 
cipline. As such, our Lord commends it ; nay, indirectly 
enjoins it. Faith is a highly spiritual act, and the soul can 
not rise to a spiritual state, while immersed in the flesh, 
while suffocated with animalism. He who lives a carnal, 
worldly life, following the desires of the flesh and the mind, 
putting no check upon the passions, yielding to every sen- 
sual impulse, is incapable of faith. And this alone accounts 
for the unbelief, the infidelity of multitudes. It is only as 
the flesh with its affections is mortified, it is only as the 
sensual is cast out and crucified, and the body made the 
temple of the Holy Ghost, that the vision of the soul is 
clarified, that it is uplifted into a purer and more invigor- 
ating atmosphere, that it is made free to lay hold upon 
the divine fulness and strength. 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE SECRET JOURNEY OF CHRIST THROUGH GALILEE. 



REASONS FOR THE SECRECY OF OUR LORDS JOURNEY THROUGH GALILEE — 
HE AGAIN FORETELLS HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION — THE TRIBUTE 
MONEY — DESIGN OF THE MIRACLE — HE REBUKES THE JEALOUSY AND 
AMBITION OF THE DISCIPLES — THE LESSON ON FORGIVENESS — PARABLE 
OF THE DEBTOR. 

Matthew xvn. 22-27 ; xvm. 1-35. Mark ix. 30-50. Luke ix. 43-50. 

The enemies of Jesus were numerous, implacable and 
sleepless. Their hostility had taken the form of a con- 
spiracy, the ramifications of which extended throughout 
the principal cities of the Holy Land. Everywhere ex- 
cept in the secluded rural villages our Lord encountered 
determined opposition. His persecutors had a difficult 
part to play, and they were by no means wanting in 
courage and skill. Their first aim was to bring Him into 
discredit with the people as a heretic, a blasphemer and 
a demoniac ; their second, to fasten upon Him the sus- 
picion of the Koman authorities, as a disturber of the 
public peace and as a revolutionary leader; their final 
aim was by "one means or another, to bring about His 
death. Doubtless He was at this time, and He knew 
that He was, in constant danger of assassination. In- 
deed, when we consider the situation, we almost wonder 
that He so long escaped the dagger of the zealot. But 
He knew what was in man ; and by His matchless pru- 
dence He foiled the cunning and thwarted the machina- 



470 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

tions of His blood-thirsty foes. He replied to their en- 
snaring questions with such consummate wisdom that, 
far from eliciting anything by which He was compromised 
with the people on the one hand, or their rulers on the 
other, those questions returned to plague the inventors. 
As the peril to His person increased, He withdrew Him- 
self more and more from Capernaum and the neighboring 
cities, and, concealing as much as possible His movements, 
spent much of the time among the rude but unprejudiced 
and hospitable peasants of Upper Galilee and Decapolis. 
Hence His journey beyond the borders, narrated in a for- 
mer chapter.* Hence, too, His journey to Cesarea Phil- 
ippi. And hence when He returned from that region, 
He took measures to prevent its being generally known. t 
He must therefore have traveled by unfrequented by- 
roads. Thus He guarded against the dangers by which 
He was encompassed. 

Though Jesus knew that His time was not yet come, 
He knew that it was near ; and His great work hence- 
forth was to prepare His disciples for His sufferings and 
death. Again and again had He forewarned them of 
the fearful events which were approaching; but with 
amazing stupidity they had failed to understand His 
words. While they believed that He was the Christ, the 
Son of the living God, they could not quite extricate 
themselves from the Jewish conception of the Messiah — 
a conception which excluded suffering, and humiliation. 
Once more, on this journey, Jesus endeavored to remove 
their erroneous notions. "Let these sayings," said He, 
" sink down into your ears ; for the Son of man shall 
be delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill 
Him ; and after that He is killed He shall rise the third 
day." This seems sufficiently explicit; but they under- 



Chapter IV., Part VII. f Mark ix. 30. 



THF SECRET JOURNEY. 471 

stood it not. Could they have thought that it was a 
parable ? 

Again our Lord is in Capernaum. The circumstances 
which rendered it safe and expedient for Him to return 
are not recorded. Probably during His absence the rage 
of His enemies had somewhat subsided; and now His 
sudden appearance found them unprepared to carry their 
plans into effect. It was at this time that Jesus wrought 
a miracle which has perplexed and stumbled many com- 
mentators. It has been preserved by Matthew alone, 
and can be best narrated in his own words : "And when 
they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute- 
money came to Peter and said, Doth not your Master pay 
tribute ? He saith, Yes. And when he w^as come into 
the house Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest 
thou, Simon ? Of whom do the kings of the earth take 
custom or tribute ? of their own children or of strangers ? 
Peter saith unto Him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto 
him, Then are the children free. Notwithstanding, lest 
we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast a 
hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up ; and 
w r hen thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece 
of money : that take and give unto them for Me and 
thee." 

That a miracle should have been wrought for such a 
purpose seems to many incredible. The sole difficulty in 
the case lies in an entire misconception of the purpose 
of the miracle. Surely, He who would not change stones 
into bread to appease His hunger in the desert, would 
not work a miracle to relieve Himself of a trifling pe- 
cuniary embarrassment; and there is not the slightest 
evidence that our Lord and His disciples were in such 
straits that they w r ere unable to raise a single stater. It 
must also be noted that the " tribute " spoken of w T as not 
a civil capitation tax to be paid to the publicans ; but a 



472 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

tax paid annually by the Jews of twenty years and up- 
wards, towards the temple in Jerusalem.* This fact is the 
key to the whole narrative. When Peter, having with his 
usual haste pledged his Master to pay the tax, came into 
the house, Jesus anticipated what he was about to tell 
Him with the question, " Of whom do the Icings of the 
earth (in implied contrast with the King of heaven) 
receive custom or tribute ? of their own children or of 
strangers ?" Peter having answered, " Of strangers," Je- 
sus rejoined, " Then are the children free." The conclu- 
sion rather suggested than expressed, was, " On the same 
principle, the Son of the King of kings, — He who is 
above the temple and is Himself the true temple, — is ex- 
empt from a tax levied for the temple. As a Son over 
the house of God, He is free." Jesus thus asserted to 
the disciples, and especially to Peter, who had so recently 
confessed Him as the Son of the living God, His divine 
dignity. But inasmuch as Peter had already engaged for 
Him that the tax should be paid, He would not refuse, 
lest He should thereby cause any to stumble, as if He 
were a despiser of the temple. On the other hand, if 
the tax were paid out of the treasury of the little com- 
munity, the disciples themselves might not be duly im- 
pressed with His superiority to the temple. Therefore 
the tax was paid in a way that displayed His divine 
knowledge, power and providence. The miracle was 
wrought to prove that He was the Son of God ; and it 
was precisely such a miracle as Matthew, the tax-gatherer, 
would be sure to record. 

That there was really a fish that had a stater lodged 
in its throat, there can be no doubt. That was not a 
miracle. The miracle lay in our Lord's knowledge that 
that particular fish would, at a certain moment, seize 



* Exodus xxx. 13. II. Kings xii. 4. II. Chronicles xxiv. 6, 9. 



THE SECKET JOUENEY. 473 

the hook let down by Peter. Or shall we say, that the 
Divine Will, which pervades all nature, impelled the fish 
to that spot and to that act? In any case there was 
no violation of natural laws ; neither was there anything 
magical in what was done. And we have seen that the 
miracle was wrought for the highest conceivable end. It 
was a fresh and striking fulfilment of the wondrous Mes- 
sianic psalm : # "Thou hast made [the Son of man] a lit- 
tle lower than the angels, and hast crowned Him with 
glory and honor. Thou madest Him to have dominion 
over the works of Thy hands ; Thou hast put all things 
under His feet ; all sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts 
of the field ; the fowls of the air, and the fish of the sea, 
and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas." 

It seems probable that the honor which Jesus had re- 
cently bestowed on Peter, and on the two sons of Zebe- 
dee, excited the jealousy of the other disciples. Certainly 
there was much disputing among them, who should be the 
greatest. At length they (who were so often afraid to 
ask the Master legitimate and important questions) came 
to Him with the impertinent and incredible question : 
" Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven ? " Our 
Lord's answer to this question was so marvelously beauti- 
ful and instructive — it reveals so clearly His inmost spirit, 
and the inmost spirit of His gospel, that we can not re- 
gret that the disciples so far forgot themselves as to ask 
it. Jesus was sitting in " the house " — that is to say, in 
the humble dwelling which was His abode in Capernaum. 
There happened to be in the room a little child, whom 
Jesus called to Him, and took up in His arms, and set in 
a conspicuous place among them. "Verily I say unto 
you, Except ye be converted and become as little chil- 
dren, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 

* Psalms viii. 5-8. 



474 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little 
child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 
And whosoever shall receive one snch child in My name, 
receiveth Me." This dispute concerning the primacy was 
the first manifestation of the hierarchical spirit in the 
church. The apostles having been told that the kingdom 
of heaven was at hand, thought it high time to come to 
some understanding touching the distribution of honors 
and dignities in that kingdom. Clearly they did not un- 
derstand that our Lord had designated Peter as the pri- 
mate ; in that case the dispute could not- have arisen. 
And it is to be noted that Jesus Himself, in answering 
their question, does not intimate that He had chosen 
Peter to that honor; but on the contrary cuts up the 
principle of hierarchical lordship, root and branch, and 
shows that, in respect to official relations, His kingdom 
would present a sharp contrast to the spirit of the world. 
In holding up a little child as representing the qualities 
requisite to admission into His kingdom, and to great- 
ness therein, Jesus teaches that true religion is a glorified 
infancy; that is to say, it is a development of the faith, 
hope and love which are implanted in infants by the cove- 
nant-grace of God; and that conversion lies in a return 
to the simplicity, trustfulness, lowliness and docility of a 
regenerate childhood. He says in effect to the apostles : 
" You are disputing among yourselves who shall be great- 
est in My kingdom, when it is doubtful whether you are 
qualified even to enter it. Behold this child, so obedient 
to my call, so confiding, so unambitious, so loving ; this 
is a model disciple. If you would be great in my king- 
dom, renounce first all your pride and jealousy and lust 
for preeminence, and become as this little child." 

Having entered the kingdom of God by becoming a 
child, one can only become great in that kingdom by be- 
coming still more a child. "Whosoever shall humble 



THE SECRET JOURNEY. 475 

himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the 
kingdom of heaven." The man who seeks greatness — 
who covets distinction and power — shall be disappointed ; 
but he who forgets himself and renounces the honor which 
comes from men, and becomes the least of all and the 
servant of all, shall fill the highest place. ^The Saviour 
further declares that those who are eminently childlike 
are His accredited representatives and ambassadors. His 
vicegerent on earth, is — not a potentate with a triple 
crown — but a little child — one who has renounced the 
world and is lowly in heart, and desires only to serve, 
and is full of love. Those who receive such a meek- 
hearted child of God in Christ's name, receive Him. It 
is in such child-like disciples that Christ dwells ; through 
them He governs His church; through them He will 
govern the world; and they shall be greatest in the 
kingdom of heaven. 

Our Lord goes on to erect on this deep and broad 
foundation the whole superstructure of church govern- 
ment and discipline, discoursing at length on offences; 
on the means to be employed to remove them; on the 
authority of orderly discipline in His church ; on the duty 
of mutual forgiveness. Though this discourse of our Lord 
is one of the most interesting and important that He 
ever uttered, the exposition of it does not fall within the 
scope of this book. The parable however, with which it 
closes, must not be omitted : 

a Then came Peter to Him, and said, Lord, how oft shall 
my brother sin against me, and I forgive him ? till seven 
times ? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee until 
seven times, but until seventy times seven. ' Therefore is 
the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king who 
would take account of his servants. And when he had 
begun to reckon, one was brought unto him who owed 
him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not 



476 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife 
and children^ and all that he had, and payment to be 
made. The servant therefore fell down and worshiped 
him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay 
thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with 
compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 
But the same servant went out, and found one of his fel- 
low servants, who owed him a hundred pence ; and he 
laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, 
Pay me that thou owest. And his fellow-servant fell 
down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience 
with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not ; 
but went and cast him into prison till he should pay the 
debt. So when his fellow-servants saw what was done, 
they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord 
all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called 
him, said unto him, thou wicked servant, I forgave 
thee all that debt because thou desiredst me : shouldst 
not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant, 
even as I had pity on thee ? And his lord was wroth, and 
delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all 
that was due unto him. So likewise shall My Heavenly 
Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive 
not every one his brother their trespasses." 



CHAPTER VIII. 
JESUS AT THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES. 

SEASONS FOR OUR LORD'S CONTINUANCE IN GALILEE — THE FEAST OF 
TABERNACLES — JESUS URGED TO ATTEND THE FEAST BY THE DIS- 
CIPLES — OUR LORD'S REPLY — THE MULTITUDE INQUIRE AFTER JESUS 
AND RECOUNT HIS MIRACLES — JESUS SUDDENLY APPEARS AND BEGINS 
TO TEACH — THE ASTONISHMENT OF THE PEOPLE AT HIS TEACHING — 
JESUS JUSTIFIES HIMSELF — HIS ENEMIES TAKE OFFENCE — HE REBUKES 

THEM THE PHARISEES SILENCED AND THE PEOPLE PERPLEXED — 

JESUS DECLARES THEM IGNORANT OF HIM — THE SANHEDRIM GIVE 

ORDERS TO ARREST HIM — HE CONTINUES HIS DISCOURSE. 

v. 

John vn. 1-36. 

Jesus had now been in Galilee, according to the most 
probable reckoning, about eighteen months. This long 
absence from Jerusalem is to be attributed to the malice 
of His enemies there. During His last visit He had so 
shocked their superstitious prejudices, by healing the sick 
man at the pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath day, and by 
His discourse on that occasion, that they had resolved to 
put Him out of the way. In executing their plans, they 
were able to wield the whole strength of the sect of 
Pharisees, and consequently that of the priesthood and 
the Sanhedrim. These had their emissaries scattered 
over the whole land, and especially throughout Galilee, 
who seem to have followed our Lord from place to place, 
and to have reported to the authorities at Jerusalem, all 
His works and sayings, — colored, of course, by prejudice 
and hatred* The Pharisees evidently felt that it was a 
death-struggle, that they must destroy Him or He would 



478 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

destroy them. They were alarmed at His growing popu- 
larity with the masses, all of whom believed Him to be 
a prophet, many even that He was the Messiah. In Gal- 
ilee especially, the common people honored and revered 
Him. Hence His enemies were afraid to offer Him any 
open insult or violence, while He continued in that re- 
gion. Their purpose was to lay hands on Him at Jerusa- 
lem, while He was in attendance upon some festival ; for 
even they could not deny that He strictly observed the 
law. 

Several feasts had now gone by, and Jesus had not 
appeared. He well knew that His next journey would 
be full of danger ; and He therefore abode still in Galilee. 
Not that He shrank from His final sufferings, for He was 
straitened till His baptism of blood was accomplished. 
But His preparatory work was not yet finished ; His dis- 
ciples needed further instruction and training; He had 
not fulfilled His course ; His time was not yet come. He, 
therefore, used every precaution suggested by prudence, 
to escape the blood-thirsty rage of His enemies. Thus, 
they looked for Him feast after feast in vain. One of 
the principal Mosaic festivals was now at hand. The 
great Lawgiver had commanded that, on the fifteenth 
day of the seventh month, corresponding to the first of 
our October, the people should keep a feast unto the 
Lord seven days, including two Sabbaths. "And ye shall 
take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, 
branches of palm-trees, and the boughs of thick trees, 
and willows of the brook, and ye shall rejoice before the 
Lord your God seven days. And ye shall keep it a feast 
unto the Lord seven days in the year ; it shall be a stat- 
ute forever in your generations. Ye shall celebrate it in 
the seventh month. Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; 
all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths;* that your 
generations may know that I made the children of Israel 



JESUS AT THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES. 479 

to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land 
of Egypt. I am the Lord your God."* 

This festival was the most joyous of all those observed 
among the Jews. It was held at a season when the in- 
tense heat of summer had passed, and the rains of autumn 
had not yet commenced ; when, therefore, in that glorious 
climate, the people could surely reckon upon cloudless 
skies and a salubrious air. When the time approached, 
the whole country was astir. Caravans were seen mov- 
ing toward Jerusalem, from every part of the Holy Land, 
and even from distant countries ; for in the time of Christ 
the Jews were already scattered throughout the world. 
There is abundant evidence that, at every important festi- 
val, black Jews from India and Abyssinia met with their 
white brethren from Greece and Italy, perhaps from Gaul 
and Spain. At this feast, all the open spaces in and 
around the city for miles, hills and valleys, streets, fields, 
vineyards and gardens, must have been rilled with booths, 
all crowded with people. The sound of a mighty popu- 
lation, and of a mighty joy filled the air. Music and 
song sounded forth on every side; all the dialects of the 
earth were heard in the streets. An unbroken stream of 
people was continually flowing to and from the courts of 
the temple. The smoke of sacrifice ascended without 
intermission. 

Such was the Feast of Tabernacles. As the time drew 
near, the " brethren" or relatives of our Lord urged Him 
to go up to Jerusalem. The reason they gave, discloses 
an extraordinary state of mind in those who ought to 
have known Him so well. " Depart hence, and go into 
Judea, that thy disciples also may see the works that 
thou doest. For there is no man who doeth anything 
in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. 

* Leviticus xxiii. 39-43. 



480 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 



If thou do these things, show thyself to the world." We 
detect in these words a certain degree of irony, yet un- 
raingled with scorn or malice. They did not believe in 
Him; yet they did not absolutely and wickedly disbe- 
lieve. They were in a state of doubt; but they seem 
to have doubted as much in His favor as against Him. 
They were looking for some overpowering evidence which 
should convince, not only themselves, but also the whole 
nation. He had now nominal disciples scattered all over 
the nation. Why did He not go up to Jerusalem, where 
all these would be assembled at the feast, and work some 
illustrious miracle which should silence all objectors? As 
if they had said to Him : " Why do you stay in such a 
corner as Galilee ? Why do you not seek the widest pub- 
licity, by going up to this feast, and challenging the ob- 
servation and scrutiny of the congregated nation?" 

It must not be forgotten that these "brethren of 
Christ," — James, and Joses, and Judas and Simon, had 
recently attempted to arrest Him as a lunatic,* or per- 
haps as a monomaniac; but it would seem that their views 
had somewhat changed since then. They could not now 
think Him insane ; neither could they believe in Him. 
How could they, with their carnal views be convinced that 
He, who had perhaps eaten at the same table, and worked 
with them in the same carpenter's shop for thirty years, 
was the Son of God and the consolation of Israel ? It is 
nothing new or strange in this world that men, though in 
continual contact with the Divine, should be unable to rec- 
ognize it. Is not the Divine word manifest in trees and 
grass and flowers, in air and clouds, in sun, moon and stars ? 
Does He not live through all life, and extend through all 
extent, without being recognized by men ? Think it not 
strange that those who knew not God in nature should 



. 



*Markiii. 21. 



JESUS AT THE FEAST OF TABEEISTACLES. 481 

fail to discover His presence in the form of a servant. 
Yet it was something that they earnestly desired Jesus to 
go up to Jerusalem and there manifest His power. 

" My time," said our Lord in reply, " is not yet come ; 
but your time is always ready. The world can not hate 
you ; but Me it hateth, because I testify of it that the 
works thereof are evil. Go ye up to this feast ; I go not 
yet up to this feast, for My time is not yet full come." 
" You are at liberty to dispose of your time according to 
your best judgment ; but I am acting under divine dicta- 
tion. My time is appointed of my Father, and I can not 
yet go up to Jerusalem. Besides, in your case there is no 
danger ; for the world does not thirst for your blood ; but 
I am continually exposed to the machinations and violence 
of sleepless enemies. Therefore, go up to the feast, and 
when my time has come, I will go up." His brethren 
departed, doubtless more than ever at a loss what to think. 

The feast has now opened; booths have covered the 
parched hills and valleys with sudden verdure ; every 
where there is mirth and gladness, "thanksgiving and 
the voice of melody." And yet the feast is not the ab- 
sorbing theme. In the vast multitude, there is one topic 
of conversation — a topic of supreme interest. All are 
inquiring concerning Jesus the Nazarene. His alert and 
vigilant adversaries, the Pharisees, are looking around for 
Him ; expecting Him at the feast, they hope to see their 
long cherished purpose put in execution. So the ques- 
tion goes round : " Where is He f Where is He f Have 
you heard of His being in the city?" Many call Him an 
impostor ; but there are not wanting those who boldly 
and generously defend Him, and declare that He is no 
deceiver, but a good man and a prophet. Doubtless 
many whom He has healed of divers diseases are present, 
telling the story of their cure. Here is a man, sur- 
rounded by a crowd of eager listeners, who says, " I was 
31 






482 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

a leper ; driven away from wife and children and home ; 
my flesh was white and ulcerated from the crown of 
my head to my feet; my life was a burden, till I heard 
that Jesus of Nazareth could heal all manner of disease ; 
and I went to Him, and kneeled down at His feet, and 
said to Him : ' Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me 
clean ; ' and He put forth His hand, and said to me : - 1 
will, be thou clean ; ' and immediately I felt new life 
rushing through my veins, and my flesh came upon me 
like the flesh of a child." Yonder is a man addressing 
another cluster : u I was blind. For long years I had not 
seen the light of the sun, nor the green grass, nor trees, 
nor flowers, nor the face of man or woman. One day, as 
I sat by the way-side, I heard the sound of a great mul- 
titude ; and they told me that Jesus of Nazareth was 
passing by. And I cried aloud, and my heart was in the 
cry, — 'Thou Son of David, have mercy on me!' Blind 
as I was, I arose and followed Him into a house, and then 
He asked — methought it was the sweetest voice that ever 
mortal heard, — 'Believest thou that I am able to do 
this?' And when I said: 'Yea, Lord,' He touched my 
sightless eyes, and they were opened, and I saw Him, and 
never shall I forget the glory and love that beamed upon 
me from His face." 

In another place, there is a man speaking to yet an- 
other crowd : "A few months ago, I was a wild maniac in 
Gadara. I dwelt among the tombs, day and night, and 
none came near me for fear; and I howled like a wild 
beast, and cut myself with stones, as you may see from 
these scars. One day I saw a little ship approaching the 
shore, and I was filled with rage, and ran toward the men 
who came out of the ship to drive them back ; but when 
I came near, I saw among them One with a face so gentle 
and Godlike, that I grew calm in His presence ; He re- 
buked the demons that tormented me, and they departed ; 



JESUS AT THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES. 483 

and I sat down at His feet and loved and worshiped Him, 
for I knew He was the Son of God." Yonder is another 
witness : " I am the only son of my mother, and she is a 
widow. A few months ago disease came upon me ; and T 
died in my mother's arms; — yes, I know the secrets of 
the under-world. How long a time I was there I know 
not; but suddenly a mighty voice summoned me back to N 
my body ; and I opened my eyes, and found myself on 
a bier, in grave-clothes, with mourners around me. But 
I could not see them, for the face of Jesus the Nazarene 
was bending over me, — and Oh ! — the glory of God was 
in that face." Still farther on, withh\ a booth, is a little 
knot of women, one of whom, in a low, sweet voice, is 
saying : "For twelve long years I was a miserable invalid. 
I consulted many physicians, and spent all my property 
in the purchase of medicines, and instead of being healed, 
I found my malady increasing year after year. At last 
I heard of Jesus, the Prophet of Nazareth; but I was 
afraid to tell Him of my malady ; and so I mingled in the 
crowd which followed Him, and drew nigh and touched, 
as if by chance, the hem of His garment ; and I felt in 
a moment that I was healed ; and when He turned and 
looked at me, I fell down and told Him all, and He sent 
me away with words of comfort. sisters, is not this 
the Christ?" In another tent, where there is every sign 
of rank and wealth, a young girl, just budding into wo- 
manhood, is saying to her father : " Father, is Jesus, the 
good Nazarene, at the feast? I shall never forget how 
glorious He looked when I opened my eyes from that 
death-sleep in my chamber, as I heard the voice, c Maid, 
I say unto thee arise.' father, He must be the Son of 
God." There is a man in the garb of a sailor : " Were 
you speaking of Jesus of Nazareth ? I know that He is 
more than mortal. Not long since I was crossing the Sea 
of Galilee in our little boat, and Jesus with His disciples 



484 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

was on board ; and there arose a terrible gale, and we 
were in danger of going to the bottom, when Jesus, who 
had been sleeping, looked out upon the angry waves, and 
said, ' Peace, be still,' and in a moment all was calm." 

Conversations like these, containing reports of our 
Lord's miracles, must have been heard everywhere, and 
must have filled the public mind; hence there was a 
burning curiosity to see Him and hear His words. There 
was evidently a strong popular feeling in His favor, and 
that feeling would probably be increased by such conver- 
sations, for we must suppose that many witnesses of His 
wonderful works were in attendance on the feast. This 
was probably the reason why our Lord judged it prudent 
to delay His coming, till there should be created among 
the multitude at Jerusalem, such an enthusiasm as had 
made His residence safe in Galilee. Not till the middle or 
the fourth day did Jesus make His appearance at Jerusa- 
lem. He then came up from Galilee secretly; and sud- 
denly entering the temple, began to teach. The form of 
the expression in the original intimates that He delivered 
a set and formal discourse, perhaps in the synagogue which 
stood in the court of the women. 

The people were wonder-struck at His preaching, and 
said : " How knoweth this man letters, having never 
learned?" They were accustomed to regard the rab- 
bins as the source of all religious knowledge, so much 
so that the scribes in their ordinary teaching, said noth- 
ing on their own authority, but always referred to the 
rabbins as their acknowledged masters. But here was 
a Man who had never been in any school, who not only 
expounded the law and the prophets, but also uttered 
original doctrines on His own authority; whose wonted 
formula was not " Rabbi Jonathan, or Rabbi Simeon said 
so and so," but "verily, verily, / say unto you?' And 
then, there was a grace and a majesty in His teachings, 



JESUS AT THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES. 485 

which no rabbi or scribe ever possessed. Whence had 
He these wonderful doctrines and this divine eloquence ? 
Jesus expressly declared to them, "My doctrine is not 
mine, but His that sent Me." And He gave them a cri- 
terion by which to judge of His teachings. "If any man 
will do His will he shall know of the doctrine whether 
it be of God, or whether I speak of Myself. He that 
speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory ; but He that 
seeketh His glory that sent Him the same is true, and no 
unrighteousness is in Him." 

These w T ords excited the rage of His old enemies, some 
of whom were present. They heard Him proclaim Him- 
self publicly a Teacher sent from God, free from all error 
and sin; and what was even more intolerable, He dis- 
tinctly declared that if any did not believe His teaching, 
it was because they were not obedient to the will of God. 
Our Lord saw their rage ; but instead of softening His 
language, He spoke with yet greater severity : " Did not 
Moses give you the law ; and yet none of you keepeth 
the law? why go ye about to kill Me ?" "You glory in 
the law of Moses, and boast of your obedience thereto; yet 
at this moment you are plotting my murder, in the face 
of the commandment ' Thou shalt not kill.' Is it thus that 
you keep the law ? " This was a home-thrust ; they saw 
that He had penetrated their murderous designs, and they 
made haste to deny the charge, lest the people should 
credit it : " Thou hast a devil : who goeth about to kill 
thee ? " " You are a maniac ; you mistake your own in- 
sane impressions for realities. This idea, that there is a 
plot against your life, is a figment of your own disordered 
fancy." 

Taking no notice of their language, equally insulting 
and crafty, our Lord at once reverts to their controversy 
with Him eighteen months before, at the Feast of Dedica- 
tion, on which occasion they had accused him of Sabbath- 



486 THE LIFE OF CHRIST.. 

breaking, because He had healed the impotent man on 
the Sabbath day. "I have done one work, and ye all 
marvel. Moses gave you circumcision, not indeed be- 
cause it was of Moses, but of the fathers ; and ye on the 
Sabbath day circumcise a man. If a man on the Sabbath 
day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should 
not be broken, are ye angry at Me because I have made 
a man every whit whole on the Sabbath day? Judge 
not according to appearance, but judge righteous judg- 
ment," This was unanswerable. Surely, to heal a sick 
man on the Sabbath was as justifiable as to perform the 
rite of circumcision ; and that was acknowledged by all 
to be lawful, and even obligatory. 

The Pharisees did not attempt to reply. Their silence, 
and especially their inaction, was a cause of some per- 
plexity to the people. "Why is it?" they begin to say 
within themselves, "Is not this He whom they seek to 
kill ? But lo, He speaketh boldly, and they say nothing 
to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very 
Christ?" "The Pharisees are very bold in His absence, 
but they are speechless in His presence. Is it possible 
that they have a secret conviction, after all, that He is 
the true Messiah ?" " Howbeit, we know this man whence 
He is ; but when Christ cometh no man knoweth whence 
He is." This man is from Nazareth, in Galilee ; but the 
Christ will come suddenly, no man can tell how or whence. 
This, it seems, was a popular delusion, utterly without 
warrant from the prophets. Our Lord understanding 
what they were saying, acknowledged that it was true, 
in a certain sense, that they knew whence He came, and 
yet they knew not : " Ye both know Me, and ye know 
whence I am ; and I am not come of myself, but He that 
sent Me is true, whom ye know not." They knew Him 
according to the flesh; they knew Him as the son of 
Joseph and Mary, they knew He had been a carpenter at 



JESUS AT THE FEAST OF TABEKNACLES. 487 

Nazareth, but His true generation they could not declare; 
they knew not He was the incarnate Son of the living 
God, and that as such, He was the Lord from heaven. 
"Thus does He return to the principle that only those 
who know God, and belong to Him in heart, (i. e., who 
really endeavor to do His will,) can be in a condition to 
recognize the law of God in His self-manifestation, and 
to acknowledge that He is from heaven. Those who are 
estranged from God, and slaves to sense, think they know 
Him, but in fact do not* 

Our Lord's words were favorably received by the peo- 
ple : " When Christ cometh," said they, " will He do more 
miracles than these which this man hath done ? " His 
enemies, however, irritated by these expressions of the 
popular good-will toward Jesus, sought to seize Him. 
Orders appear to have been issued by the chief priests 
and Pharisees to have Him arrested, though they were 
not carried into immediate effect. Aware of these facts, 
Jesus seizes upon them, and with so bold and direct an 
allusion as must for the moment have confounded His 
adversaries. " You seek to rid yourselves of Me by law- 
less violence. You shall have your wish. 'Yet a little 
while I am with you, and then I go unto the Father.' But 
you will succeed to your sorrow. When I am gone, and 
when it is too late, ( Ye shall seek Me, and shall not find 
Me ; and where I am thither ye can not come.' Ye shall 
seek the Christ whom you now reject • you shall long 
look and anxiously wait for Him; but all in vain." 
These words were a riddle to the multitude : " Whither 
will He go," say they, " that we shall not find Him ? Will 
He go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles ? What 
manner of saying is this, that He said, Ye shall seek Me, 
and shall not find Me, and where I am thither ye can not 

*Neander's "Life of Christ," page 293. 



488 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

come?" ye blind, unbelieving hearts! Ye shall un- 
derstand these words, after ye have imbrued your hands 
in the blood of your King, and He shall have ascended 
to His throne in heaven. For eighteen hundred years 
ye have sought your King, and have not found Him ; but 
ye shall see Him when He cometh in the clouds, and 
shall wail because of Him* 

* Revelations i. 7. 






CHAPTER IX. 

THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES— CONTINUED. 



THE LAST DAY OF THE FEAST — JESUS DECLARES HIMSELF THE FOUNTAIN 
OF LIFE — THE MULTITUDE CONVINCED, AND THE OFFICERS OF THE 
SANHEDRIM DISARMED — THE SANHEDRIM IN SESSION — THEY REBUKE 
THE OFFICERS AND REVILE NICODEMUS — JESUS DECLARES HIMSELF 
THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD — CLOSING DISPUTE WITH THE JEWS — THEY 
BECOME ENRAGED AND TRY TO STONE HIM — HE ESCAPES. 

John vh. 37-52; vra. 12-59. 

Our history now brings us to the last, the great day 
of the Feast of Tabernacles, which was the Sabbath. At 
an early hour, the people leave their tents, bearing in 
their hands branches of palm, olive, citron, myrtle, and 
willow, and crying: "Hosanna, save I beseech thee."* 
It must have been a grand and imposing spectacle, to 
see hundreds of thousands moving with loud jubilation 
towards the temple. In the temple itself, the pomp of 
dreadful sacrifice meets their eyes ; and while the very 
walls are shaken with the sound of trumpets and cym- 
bals, of harps and psalteries, of stringed instruments and 
organs, of timbrels and shawms, they commence their 
solemn yet joyous procession around the great altar. 
Seven times, led by the priests and Levites, they make 
the circuit of the altar, 

" And the tumult of their acclaim is rolled 
Through the open gates of the city afar ; " 

Psalms cxviii. 25. 



490 TUE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

and the echoes of the mighty joy stir the groves and 
vineyards of Mount Olivet, and reverberate among the 
rocks far down the valley of Jehoshaphat. 

It was a grand and thrilling moment, when the priests, — 
we learn this from the rabbins, — drew water from the foun- 
tain of Siloam, — which was in the temple-mount " fast by 
the oracle of God," — in a golden vessel, singing the words 
of Isaiah, "With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells 
of salvation." * And the spectacle must have been still 
more impressive, when towards evening, the two immense 
chandeliers which hung in the court of the women were 
lighted up, and flooded the whole temple area with daz- 
zling splendor. These ceremonies had a profound spir- 
itual significance of which the priest and the people were 
alike ignorant, but which our Lord knew and employed 
with wonderful beauty and effect in the continuation of 
His discourse. It was, we conjecture, either just before, or 
immediately after the water was poured from the golden 
vessel upon the altar, that Jesus stood and cried, saying, 
"If any man thirst let him come unto Me and drink. He 
that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of 
his belly shall flow rivers of living water ; " — language 
wonderfully suggestive of the overflowing fulness of the 
life that is in Jesus, and which was to revive and clothe 
with beauty a parched and dying world. "This He spake 
of the spirit, which they that believe on Him should 
receive." f 

These words fell with unwonted power on the ears of 
the multitude. Some indeed still cavilled and raised 

* Isaiah xii. 3. 

t The note of the evangelist on these words of Christ is of great impor- 
tance to the right understanding of the gift of the Holy Ghost in its relation 
to the incarnation. " This spake He of the Spirit which they that believe 
on Him should receive. For the Holy Ghost was not yet given, [Greek : 
was not,] because Jesus was not yet glorified," (vii. 39.) The gift of the 



FEAST OF TABERNACLES—CONTINUED. 491 

objections to His being the Christ. But others, and it 
would seem the greater number, for no man dared lay 
hands on Him, said : " Of a truth this is the Prophet," — 
a This is the Christ." Even the officers who had been sent 
to arrest Him, caught the general feeling, and were awe- 
struck and spell-bound by the majesty of the speaker, and 
the power of His divine eloquence. Meanwhile the chief 
priests and rulers continue to sit in conclave, expecting 
every moment that He would be brought before them. 
What a scene for the painter would that stone chamber 
have presented at that moment ! There were priests in 
their sacred vestments, Pharisees with their broad phy- 
lacteries, scribes and rabbins, all sitting with lowering 
brows and stern, cruel resolve in every face. Did I say 
all? No, — there is at least one exception. Among the 
rulers is one of mild yet anxious and sorrowful counte- 
nance, who feels that a great crime is about to be perpe- 
trated, yet who knows not how to prevent it. This is 
Nicodemus who came to Jesus by night, and who is at 
heart a disciple, though he conceals it from his colleagues. 
There they sit waiting for their messengers to return, 
impatient and wrathful at their delay. 

At last they come, but without a prisoner. a Why have 
ye not brought Him ? " they ask. " Never man spake like 
this man," is the honest answer. They had been so sub- 
dued by His discourse that they found it impossible to 
arrest Him. "Are ye also deceived!" "Are ye, officers 
of the Sanhedrim, deceived also ? Have any of the rulers 
or the Pharisees believed on Him? Has this heresy 

Spirit is here represented as in some sense new, and as conditioned on the 
glorification of Christ's humanity. The explanation seems to he that the 
Holy Ghost, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, became by the in- 
carnation and glorification of the Son, the Spirit of the God-man; and when 
poured out on the day of Pentecost, He imparted to the church the fulness and 
power of the Lord's divine human life. Thus the church became His bodrj, 



492 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

spread even to our own body ? Are there traitors among 
ourselves?" Nicodemus now puts in a wise and just 
though timid word : "Doth our law judge any man before 
it hear him?" Is it just in you to condemn without an 
impartial trial ? They turn upon him with a fierce look 
of suspicion and menace : " Art thou also of Galilee ? 
Search and look, for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet." 
" "What, are you a Galilean ? Do you fraternize with this 
Nazarene prophet? We will have an eye upon you, 
Nicodemus. We know that no prophet comes from Gali- 
lee." Nicodemus does not reply. And so the session 
breaks up, and the rulers disperse. 

The day was now well-nigh spent; and the twilight 
was coming on. It was probably when the great chan- 
deliers were lighted in the temple-court, that Jesus cried, 
"I am the Light of the world; he that followeth Me 
shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." 
The Pharisees answer Him, " Thou bearest record of Thy- 
self, and Thy record is not true." Our Lord replies, boldly 
asserting the truthfulness of His record, and adding, — 
perhaps with the scene in mind which had just transpired 
in the Sanhedrim, and with which these Pharisees were 
acquainted, — " Ye judge after the flesh, I judge no man. 
And yet if I judge, my judgment is true, for I am not 
alone, but I and My Father are one." Conscious that our 
Lord had penetrated the secrets of the conclave which 
had just been plotting against Him, they were abashed, 
and " no man laid hands on Him." 

The scene now takes upon itself a deeper and more 
exciting interest. The disputants become thoroughly 
aroused. Declaration and rejoinder follow each other in 
rapid succession, sometimes quick and sharp, like angry 
flashes of lightning. Our Lord, with a boldness awful 
and startling, probes the Jewish heart to the bottom, lay- 
ing open all its unbelief and obduracy. Stung by the 



FEAST OF TABERNACLES CONTINUED. 493 

truthfulness as well as the severity of His language, the 
Jews retort upon Him in terms the most bitter and insult- 
ing. Things are evidently drawing to a crisis. The tem- 
pest of passion which has been all day gathering in the 
heart of this excited and now angry multitude, must ere 
long burst upon the head of Jesus. Conscious of all this, 
He nevertheless continues His discourse. He begins by 
reannouncing His speedy departure ; He reaffirms the 
utter incorrigibleness of the Jews ; He again pronounces 
their doom : " Ye shall die in your sins, and whither I go 
ye can not come." His adversaries turn upon Him with 
the mocking query, "'Will He kill Himself?' does He 
intend to consign Himself to perdition by suicide, thus 
cutting us off from the power to join Him in a future 
state ?" Paying no heed to their scoffing, Jesus presses 
the truth home still more closely, denouncing them as 
earthly and sensual, and declaring that it is because of 
this earthliness and their consequent unbelief, that they 
are condemned to death. They venture no reply, but 
meet Him with a new scoff: "Who art Thou?" "Even 
the same that I said unto you from the beginning," is the 
reply, " and by virtue of the divine authority vested in 
Me, ' I have many things to say and to judge, of you.' " 
Jesus then goes on to declare that His divine character 
and authority would eventually be recognized by the 
Jews themselves : " When ye have lifted up the Son of 
man, then shall ye know that I am He ; and that I do 
nothing of Myself; but as My Father hath taught Me, I 
speak these things." The majesty of our Lord's manner, 
and the sublimity of the truth He uttered, carried convic- 
tion to the hearts of His hearers. "As He spake these 
words many believed on Him." 

Turning now to the group of disciples and others who 
believed on Him, who would naturally gather immedi- 
ately about His person, He proceeds to set forth the free- 



494 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

dom to be found in true faith; the glorious liberty of the 
gospel : " If ye continue in My word, then are ye My dis- 
ciples indeed. And ye shall know the truth, and the 
truth shall make you free." His enemies, standing farther 
off, and perhaps not distinctly catching His language, un- 
derstand it as a reflection upon themselves, as implying 
that they are in bondage. So they call out to Him, " We 
be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any 
man." " I speak not of temporal bondage," answers Jesus, 
" but of spiritual bondage." " Whosoever committeth sin 
is the servant of sin ; is a slave to the devil. Whatr 
ever other freedom you possess, so long as you remain in 
this spiritual thralldom, it is nothing. As to your boast 
of your descent from Abraham, to what does it amount, 
so long as you have apostatized from the faith of Abra- 
ham, and show yourselves to be altogether a corrupt and 
degenerate stock? Your hearts are full of hatred and 
violence ; you are even now seeking to kill Me ; Abra- 
ham did no such things as these. Ye do the deeds of 
your father; but it is very evident that he is not Abraham." 
To this His enemies reply with indignation, as though He 
had charged upon them a vicious corruption of their very 
stock and blood : " We be not born of fornication," arro- 
gantly adding, "we have one Father, even God." To 
this assumption, Jesus replies with terrible severity : " *■ If 
God were your Father, you would love Me,' which you 
evidently do not. Your assumption is utterly false. 'Ye 
are of your father the devil,' and the works of your 
father, — falsehood and murder, — ye will do." This was 
too much to be endured. Exasperated to the utmost, the 
Jews angrily exclaimed, " Thou art a Samaritan and hast 
a devil" The reply of Jesus, though singularly calm, 
did not allay the intensity of their rage ; they only 
reiterated the charge with increased violence, " Now we 
know thou hast a devil." 



FEAST OF TABERNACLES CONTINUED. 495 

At this stage of the discourse, or rather dialogue, our 
Lord startled and thrilled His hearers with the words, not 
obviously connected with what had gone before : " Verily, 
verily, I say unto you, If a man keep My saying he shall 
never see death." This struck His enemies as so amaz- 
ingly absurd that it was a sufficient proof of His insan- 
ity. " Now we know," said they, " that Thou hast a devil. 
Abraham is dead, and the prophets ; and Thou say est, If 
a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. 
Art thou greater than our father Abraham who is dead ? 
and the prophets are dead ; whom makest thou Thyself?" 
Jesus declaring that His honor was from God alone, and 
that He alone knew the Father and kept His sayings, 
continued: "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my 
day ; and he saw it, and was glad." Oh, these blind Jews ! 
not a glimmering ray of our Lord's meaning penetrated 
their minds. There was a sense, one would think, that 
even they might have apprehended, in which Abraham 
rejoiced to see the day of Christ ; for the patriarch was 
largely endowed with prophetic foresight; they were, how- 
ever, not only blind, but just now in an angry and cavil- 
ing mood ; hence they would understand Jesus as claiming 
that He had been contemporary with Abraham : " Thou 
art not yet fifty years old, and hast Thou seen Abraham?" 
The answer of Jesus has been, ever since it was uttered, a 
stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to all impugners 
of His eternal divinity : u Yerily, verily, I say unto you, 
Before Abraham was, I am." Had He merely said, "Be- 
fore Abraham was, I existed" His hearers might have 
attributed the utterance to the disturbed consciousness of 
insanity ; but when He said, u Before Abraham was, I am," 
they regarded it as a monstrous blasphemy ; for this was 
the very language of Him who dwelt in the bush. They 
understood Him, and rightly understood Him, to assert 
that He had a bein«r above time and succession. Carried 



496 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

away by mingled rage and horror, they took up stones tc 
stone Him ; and doubtless but for His sudden and unac- 
countable disappearance, (" He hid Himself, and went out 
of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so 
passed by,") He would have been slain on the spot. 

We can not doubt that Jesus, on this occasion, gave 
deliberate expression to that consciousness of eternity 
which was immanent in His divine nature. Indeed, His 
words are the mysterious yet not irrational utterance of 
a Being who is at once God and man. In the first clause, 
"Before Abraham was," — is expressed a human conscious- 
ness of time ; but the next, "I am" rises at once above 
the laws of human thought into the region of the time- 
less and absolute, and is the sublime symbol rather than 
the adequate expression, of a self-consciousness to which 
one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as 
one day — a self-consciousness which embraces the ages — 
the eternities — in an unsuccessive and immovable now — 
a self-consciousness that ever dwelt in the Man Christ 
Jesus, and sometimes flashed forth in words of super- 
natural splendor and power. 



CHAPTER X. 
THE WOMAN ACCUSED BY THE PHARISEES. 



THE PHARISEES BRING TO JESUS A WOMAN TAKEN IN ADULTERY — THEIR 
MOTIVES — THEIR QUESTION — OUR LORD'S JUDGMENT — THEY RETIRE 
CONFOUNDED — THE WOMAN ADMONISHED AND DISMISSED — REFLEC- 
TIONS. 

John vn. 53; vui. 1-12. 

On a certain morning, Jesus, having spent the night on 
the Mount of Olives, went early to the temple, and the 
people came flocking to Him, to hear His teaching.* His 
ubiquitous enemies, the scribes and Pharisees, were also 
there, on an extraordinary errand. A certain woman, — 
who is nameless, — had been detected in a flagrant breach 
of her marriage covenant, and led away for trial. Her 
accusers, equally void of humanity and shame, deter- 
mined to take advantage of the sad incident to elicit from 
Jesus, if possible, a judgment opposed to the law of 
Moses. They knew with what tenderness our Lord had 

*I assume that the discourse of our Lord, recorded John viii. 12-59, 
was spoken on the last day of the feast, in connection with that recorded 
in chapter vii. 37-52, and that the story of the adulteress (vii. 53 ; viii. 1-11,) 
is here out of place. Its authenticity is unquestionable ; but it evidently 
belongs in another connection, probably at the close of Luke xxi. The 
question is rather fully discussed by Alford in loco, to whom the reader is 
referred. Stier, Ebrard, and some other eminent scholars, contend for the 
genuineness of the passage and for its correct location in John's gospel; but 
they have failed to convince me. In accordance with my rule, I follow in 
this difficult case what appears to me the best authority. Any discussion of 
the question in such a work as this would be out of place. 
32 



498 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

sometimes treated notorious sinners, and they confidently 
expected that in this case His compassion would lead 
Him to pronounce a mild decision. 1 hey led the woman 
through the streets in a sort of procession, exposing her, 
doubtless, to the ribald jeers of a prurient mob, and 
brought her into that part of the temple where Jesus sat 
teaching the people. It was an irruption of reeking sen- 
suality, coarseness and hypocrisy. The holy place was at 
once filled with the very atmosphere of hell. 

The accusers, without introduction or apology, declare 
in the broadest terms their infamous errand : " Master, 
this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now 
Moses in the law commanded us that such should be 
stoned; but what sayest Thou?" It was not true that 
Moses had commanded that the adulteress should be 
stoned ; but he had commanded that both the adulterer 
and the adulteress should be put to death* Why the 
accusers had only arrested one of the parties in this case, 
does not appear. The woman was seized; her probably 
more guilty paramour had been suffered to escape. Alas, 
a like unjust partiality in the treatment of the vicious 
has prevailed in all ages. Our Lord, thus interrupted in 
His heavenly discourse, feels the manifestations of human 
depravity, so suddenly forced upon His notice, like a 
wound. " The shame of the deed itself, and the brazen 
hardness of the prosecutors, the legality that had no jus- 
tice and did not even pretend to have any mercy, the reli- 
gious malice that could make its advantage of the ruin and 
ignominous death of a fellow-creature — all this was eagerly 
and rudely thrust before His mind. The effect upon Him 
was such as might have been produced upon many since, 
but perhaps upon scarcely any man that ever lived before. 
He was seized with an intolerable sense of shame. He 

* Deuteronomy xxii. 22. Leviticus xx. 10. 



THE ADULTERESS. 499 

could not meet the e ye of the crowd, or of the accusers ; 
perhaps of the woman least of all. To hide the glowing 
blush upon His face, He stooped down and began writing 
with His finger on the ground." # 

Perhaps this was also intended to signify to the people 
that this was a matter quite aside from His mission — a 
case with which He had no concern. But His enemies 
were resolved that He should pronounce a judgment; 
they continued to urge their question. And He gave 
them a judgment, but not such as they expected. Rais- 
ing His head a moment, the flush of wounded purity and 
holy indignation still upon His face, He said simply : " He 
that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at 
her." The words flashed an awful light into their con- 
sciences. They forgot the crime of this woman ; they 
were compelled to look steadfastly at their own sins — 
sins probably of the same nature with hers — and in the 
presence of Purity they felt themselves vile and guilty. 
Their secret sins were, then and there, set in the light of 
God's countenance. Confounded and smitten with terror, 
they began one after another to slink away from the place, 
till at length all had departed. 

When Jesus saw the woman standing alone, He said 
to her : " Woman, where are those thine accusers ? Hath 
no man condemned thee? She said: No man, Lord. 
And Jesus said unto her : Neither do I condemn thee ; 
go, and sin no more." These words present no such 
ethical difficulty as many of the ancient commentators 
found in them. Never was the sin of unchastity more 
fearfully judged and condemned than by our Lord on this 
occasion. He does not extenuate her guilt. But He 
was not sent to condemn but to save. He uniformly de- 
clined to act as a judge in temporal matters. He had not 

* Ecce Homo, page 116. 



500 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

received authority to act as a civil magistrate. Therefore 
He did not condemn her, but dismissed her with an 
admonition to sin no more. He probably saw in her 
the beginnings of true penitence; and we can not but 
hope that she went away to deplore, with godly sorrow, 
her great crime. Perhaps "society" never forgave her, 
but the gate of divine mercy was not closed against her. 
Perhaps even she is now a white-robed saint among the 
blessed in paradise. There is redemption in Christ for 
the fallen ; and not less for fallen women than for others 



CHAPTER XI. 

JESUS HEALS THE BLIND MAN ON THE SABBATH. 

THE DISCIPLES QUESTION JESUS AS TO THE BLIND MAN — OCCASION OF 
THEIR PERPLEXITY — OUR LORD'S REPLY — RELATION OF THE DIVINE 
PLAN TO THE CASE — JESUS HEALS THE BLIND MAN — WHY JESUS 
ANOINTED HIS EYES WITH CLAY — SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TERM SI- 
LOAM — THE BLIND MAN QUESTIONED BY HIS NEIGHBORS AND BY THE 
SANHEDRIM — THE PHARISEES QUESTION HIS PARENTS — THE BLIND 
MAN RE-EXAMINED — HE DEFENDS THE DIVINE CLAIM OF JESUS — HE 
IS CAST OUT OF THE SYNAGOGUE BY THE PHARISEES — HIS SUBSEQUENT 
CONFERENCE WITH JESUS — REASONS FOR HEALING THE BLIND MAN 
ON THE SABBATH. 

John ix. 2-38. 

As our Lord and His apostles passed out, they saw a 
man who was born blind. Probably he was a well-known 
beggar, whom they had often seen in the same place, and 
whose history was public. As they passed by, the disci- 
ples asked their Lord, " Master, who did sin, this man, or 
his parents, that he was born blind?" This, it must be 
confessed, was an extraordinary question. If they had 
only asked, whether the affliction was caused by the sin 
of his parents, their words would have presented no diffi- 
culty ; for we know in fact that the sins of parents are 
visited upon their children unto the third and fourth gen- 
eration; but what could they have meant by asking 
whether the man's blindness was caused by his own sins ? 
The apostles, in common with all right-minded men, in- 
stinctively believed that a connection existed between sin 
and suffering ; but the trouble was, that they could con- 
ceive of no sin which was not an individual transgression 



502 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

of the divine law. They could not conceive of a de- 
praved organic life, a corrupt nature in the race itself. 
They stood upon the ground occupied by all superficial 
theologians, that all sin is actual, and holding at the same 
time that all natural evil is caused by sin, this case of con- 
genital blindness presented a difficulty which they could 
not solve. Had they understood the doctrine of original 
sin, as set forth afterwards by the apostle Paul, and held 
by orthodox Christians in subsequent ages, they would 
neither have felt the difficulty nor asked the question. 

But how could they think it possible that the actual 
sins of the man himself could have been the cause of his 
blindness when he was horn blind ? The true answer is 
probably this : they had heard of the doctrine of the pre- 
existence of souls, and perhaps partly believed it; and 
they thought that this affliction might have been a judg- 
ment upon him for his sins in an ante-natal life. This 
doctrine had long been current among the heathen. Py- 
thagoras had borrowed the doctrine of the transmigration 
of souls from the eastern sages, many years^ before this 
time, and it is altogether credible that it had long been 
familiar to the Jews. There is positive evidence that it 
was held by the Pharisees, though some think they had 
not embraced it in the time of Christ. But there is rea- 
son to believe that it was already a settled article of 
their creed. This we may infer from their own words to 
this very man, after he was healed : "Thou wast altogether 
born in sins." This interpretation is unforced and simple ; 
and is supported by many eminent commentators, ancient 
and modern. 

Our Lord, in His reply, only declared so much truth 
as the disciples were qualified to receive. "Neither hath 
this man sinned, nor his parents ; but that the works of 
God should be manifest in him." We are not to under- 
stand this as a denial of the connection between sin and 



HEALING OF THE BLIND MAN. 503 

suffering in general, — a truth which our Lord on other 
occasions plainly declared ; but He tells them that the 
personal transgressions of this man and his parents had 
nothing to do with his affliction. In this particular case, 
a merciful purpose was to be answered. This man was 
preordained to be a medium of showing forth the mighty 
works of God. The Lord neither denies the sin of the 
blind man nor that of his parents ; all that He does is to 
turn away His disciples from that most harmful practice 
of diving down with cruel surmises into the secret of 
other men's lives, and like the friends of Job, assuming 
hidden sins to be the cause of their unusual sufferings. 
" This blindness," He would say, " is due to no peculiar 
sin on his own part, or that of his parents. Seek, there- 
fore, neither here nor there for the cause of his calamity; 
but see what more just and merciful explanation the evil 
in the world, and this evil in particular, is capable of re- 
ceiving. The purpose of the life-long blindness of this 
man is that the works of God should be manifest in him ; 
and that, through it and its removal, the grace and glory 
of God might be magnified." 

The words of Christ immediately following refer to the 
short duration of His earthly ministry : " I must work the 
works of Him that sent me, while it is day; the night 
cometh when no man can work." Passing from this, He 
adds with particular reference to the healing of the blind 
man: "As long as I am in the world / am the light of 
the world" Having thus said, " He spat upon the ground 
and made clay of the saliva, and applied the mixture to 
the eyes of the blind man, and directed him to go to the 
pool of Siloam, and wash ; and he went his way and 
washed and came seeing." It were vain to try to imagine 
the sensations of one who had been blind from birth, 
upon finding himself suddenly gifted with sight. The 
ideas of the external world possessed by such a person 



504 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

must be dim and contracted beyond our conception ; but 
we may well imagine his rapture upon passing from ever- 
during darkness into a world of light and color, of form 
and visible motion. What a revelation would be the 
distant horizon, the far-off mountains, fruitful valleys 
stretching away till lost in the blue haze, azure streams 
winding like threads of silver among hills and meadows, 
vineyards and gardens, mists and exhalations, summer 
showers and dew-drops of the morning, or the sight of 
the firmament with its vast spaces, its clouds, rainbows, 
stars ! Oh what a revelation were all this to a soul under 
total eclipse from the moment of birth ! Such was the 
change in the blind man's condition. Yet it was not this 
which the man came seeing ; what he most longed to 
behold, after his eyes were opened, must have been, not 
so much the beauty and "dread magnificence" of nature, 
as the face of Him who had said : "Go wash in the pool of 
Siloamf" True, we are not told whether he saw Jesus 
as he returned ; but we are sure he must have hastened 
home to look upon the faces of those he loved most. 

It has been made a question, why our Lord, first 
anointed his eyes with clay, and then sent him to the 
pool of Siloam to wash. Why did He not rather heal 
him with a word? Doubtless, He could have healed 
him thus; but we can discern a wise reason why another 
method was chosen. An indispensable condition of such 
miraculous cures was a certain degree of faith in the sub- 
ject. Now it is probable that the faith of this man was 
very weak, and some external aids were necessary to 
raise it to the requisite pitch. Our Lord, therefore, ap- 
plied the clay mixed with saliva, both of which were im- 
agined in that age to be medicinal in diseases of the eyes. 
The use of these suggested to the man first, the possibility 
of a cure, and then led him to believe that he would be 
cured. The command to wash in the pool of Siloam was 



HEALING OF THE BLIND MAN. 505 

well calculated to try and manifest his faith. The evan- 
gelist alludes, not accidentally, but with a design, to the 
meaning of the name Siloam : " which is by interpretation 
Sent." In this, he probably intimates that the fountain 
was a type of Christ, and was named prophetically. Our 
Lord is expressly called the Apostle, — that is to say, the 
Messenger, the Sent of God ; and thus He often speaks 
of Himself. The waters of Siloam, gushing out from be- 
neath the very substructions of the temple, — which was 
the type of Christ's humanity, — were a striking symbol 
of that life-giving grace which flows forth from the incar- 
nate Word, to make glad the city of God, and to refresh, 
quicken and sanctify the world. 

When the man returned from Siloam, in the possession 
of sight, his neighbors were of course astonished, and 
could hardly believe it was he. Sight naturally changed 
the expression of his countenance ■ and they could not 
help saying one to another, " Is not this he that sat and 
begged ? Some said it is he ; others said he is like him ; 
but he said / am he. Therefore said they unto him, How 
were thine eyes opened? A man that is called Jesus 
made clay and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go 
to the pool of Siloam and wash ; and I went and washed 
and I received sight. Then said they unto him, Where 
is He ? He said, I know not." Here was a palpable mira- 
cle of the most extraordinary kind. It could not be over- 
looked, much less denied, so they brought the man to the 
Pharisees, by whom we are to understand the leaders of 
the sect, who were now probably sitting in the Sanhedrim. 
They immediately began to question him concerning his 
cure ; and he gave the same account of it which he had 
before given to his neighbors. They viewed the miracle 
at once in the light of their own narrow prejudice and 
bigotry : " This man," they reasoned, " is not of God, be- 
cause he keepeth not the Sabbath day." Some, however, 



506 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

who were present were honest enough to say, "How can 
a man who is a sinner do such things ?" Thus there was 
a division among them. They wish to know what the 
man himself thinks of Jesus. They say unto the blind 
man again, a What sayest thou of Him that He hath 
opened thine eyes?" This must not be understood as 
two questions, — thus, What sayest thou of Him f that He 
hath opened thine eyes ? The meaning rather is, What 
sayest thou of Him in that He hath opened thine eyes ? 
What is your opinion of Him ? What do you conclude 
in respect to His character from the cure you say He has 
wrought upon you ? The man answers simply and well, 
° He is a prophet." He will soon find out that He is much 
more than a prophet. 

The Pharisees, however, suspecting some collusion in 
the case, put the man aside for the present and calling his 
parents, asked: "Is this your son who, ye say, was born 
blind ? How then doth he now see ? " They answered, 
we think discreetly, though they have been blamed for 
undue timidity and caution : " We know that this is our 
son, and that he was born blind ; but by what means he 
now seeth, we know not, or who hath opened his eyes we 
know not ; he is of age, ask him ; he shall speak for him- 
self." They spoke in the character of witnesses, and 
what they ought to have said more, it is not easy to see. 
It is true they spoke thus guardedly because they feared 
the Jews ; but their caution does not appear to have been 
criminal. 

Failing to discover any evidence of imposture in the 
case, the Pharisees return to the man himself. " Give 
God the praise ; we know that this man is a sinner." It 
is believed that this was a mere artifice of the examiners 
to surprise the man into a confession of the imposture 
which they suspected he was practising. He had been 
absent during the examination of his parents. When he 



HEALING OF THE BLIND MAN. 507 

returned to the stand, they addressed him as though they 
had discovered the cheat, and exhorted him to give glory 
to God, as Joshua exhorted Achan,* by confessing the 
truth. If this was their purpose they signally failed, for 
the man boldly answered, " Whether he be a sinner or 
no, I know not," — in respect to that I am not a competent 
witness, — " one thing I know, that whereas I was blind, 
now I see." This man evidently has a strong, genial soul, 
and we can not help liking him. Well, they can not 
shake his testimony ; neither can they let him alone ; 
they continue to interrogate him : "What did He to thee? 
How opened He thine eyes?" "I have told you already, 
and ye did not hear ; wherefore would ye hear it again ? 
Will ye also be His disciples?" He begins to understand 
his position ; he sees that he is among malicious enemies 
of his great Benefactor, and his heart is moved with in- 
dignation. "One would think from your questioning that 
you voere about to become His disciples." 

These words stung them to the quick, and they an- 
swered with scorn, " Thou art His disciple ; but we are 
Moses' disciples. We know that God spake unto Moses ; 
but as for this fellow we know not from whence he is." 
"Why," rejoined the man, suddenly transformed into a 
theologian, " Why, herein is a marvellous thing, that ye 
know not from whence He is, and yet He hath opened 
mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sin- 
ners : " — that is to say, God hears not wicked men and 
deceivers, men who are in a state of sin, — " but if any 
be a worshiper of God and doeth His will, him He heareth. 
Since the world began was it not heard that any man 
opened the eyes of one who was born blind. If this man 
were not of God he could do nothing." Bravely and 
wisely spoken! The most learned rabbi of them all 

* Joshua vii. 19. 



508 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

could not have spoken as well. If such miracles do not 
demonstrate a mission from God, what evidence would be 
sufficient ? 

But the Pharisees were only enraged ; they could not 
answer his arguments, but they could excommunicate 
him, which they proceeded forthwith to do. "Thou wast 
altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us?" Aye, 
there was the rub, — that this poor beggar, who had been 
blind from his birth, and was, therefore, as they reasoned, 
monstrously wicked, should presume to think for himself 
and even to teach them — "who rested in the law and made 
their boast of God, and knew His will and approved the 
things which were more excellent, being instructed out of 
the law, who accounted themselves guides of the blind, 
light to them who were in darkness, instructors of the 
foolish, and teachers of babes." This presumption in one 
who had come into the world with mysterious crimes 
clinging to him, was not to be tolerated, and so they cast 
him out, i. e., they violently ejected him from their hall 
of judgment, which was a symbol of his excision from 
the congregation. 

He went out loaded with anathemas, delivered over 
unto Satan, and marked as an object of the abhorrence 
and execration of men. It does not appear, however, 
that he was greatly alarmed or distressed by this outrage ; 
nevertheless he needed encouragement and counsel ; and 
therefore Jesus, the Good Shepherd, ever mindful of the 
lambs, sought him out and " when He had found him He 
said unto Him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?" 
and he answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I 
might believe on Him?" He had the conviction that 
Jesus was a prophet come from God, but He did not yet 
know His divine dignity. " Jesus said unto him : Thou 
hast both seen Him, and it is He who talketh with thee. 
And he said : Lord, I believe, and he worshiped Him." 



HEALING OF THE BLIND MAN. 509 

The eyes of this blind man are opened in more senses 
than one. He has seen the Lord not only with eyes of 
flesh but by faith. I have no doubt he has been telling 
his story in heaven for eighteen hundred years. Oh, that 
you and I may come near enough to the throne to hear 
him, and to join with him in singing, " Worthy is the lamb 
that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, 
and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing." 

We observe that in healing the blind man on the Sab- 
bath, our Lord again trampled on the superstitious preju- 
dices of the Pharisees, or rather publicly rebuked and 
defied them. It is extraordinary that many of his most 
wonderful cures, both in Jerusalem and in Galilee, were 
performed on the Sabbath day. And this had come in 
fact to be the great controversy between Him and His 
opposers; He would work miracles of healing on the 
Sabbath, despite the rage and clamor of the Pharisees. 
Now why was this ? We know how carefully He avoided 
giving needless offense even to the most ignorant and 
prejudiced. The fact was, the nature of true religion 
as consisting in mercy, judgment and faith, had almost 
faded away from the Jewish mind. The people had come 
to worship forms and positive institutions ; their worship 
was without love, their religion was without humanity and 
beneficence. They kept the Sabbath, not by doing good 
to men, and worshiping God in spirit, but by scrupu- 
lously abstaining from all labor. They regarded the Sab- 
bath with some such feelings of superstitious horror as a 
native of a South Sea island regards a tabooed tree or 
field. This feeling was diametrically opposed to the spirit 
of true religion. Our Lord came into the world to preach 
a gospel of love, to teach men by precept and example, 
that the highest acts of religion are acts of mercy ; that 
the spirit is nobler and more essential than the letter. 

From these striking scenes, our Lord, according to the 



510 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

most satisfactory authorities, appears to have quietly 
withdrawn and to have returned to Galilee. His sub- 
sequent final departure from Galilee, of which explicit 
mention is made, can not well be understood on any 
other hypothesis. The evangelists are, however, silent, 
both as to the incidents of the journey and His labors 
while there. 



PART VIII. 



The Period of our Lord's 
Ministry in Perea. 



CHAPTER I. 

FINAL DEPARTURE OF JESUS FROM GALILEE. 



JESUS RETURNS TO GALILEE — SENDS MESSENGERS TO SAMARIA — REBUKES 

THE "SONS OF THUNDER" SENDS OUT THE SEVENTY FOLLOWS THEM — 

JESUS TEMPTED BY A LAWYER — PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN. 

Luke ix. 51-52 ; x. 1-37. 

Jesus was again in Galilee, but only for a little season. 
While many had become His disciples, He was by the 
majority, including the Pharisees and ecclesiastical rulers, 
rejected and persecuted. Knowing that His work among 
His ungrateful countrymen was almost finished, and that 
" the time was come when He should be received up," He 
prepared to bid a final farewell to the scenes and places 
which had been so long hallowed by His presence. " He 
steadfastly set His face to go up to Jerusalem." This 
journey, however, was to differ, in one important circum- 
stance, from all that preceded it. Some of those had 
been made secretly ; and in none of them had He pub- 
licly appeared as the King of Israel. The time had now 
come for Him to declare Himself in the most public man- 
ner as the Messiah. He therefore sent messengers in ad- 
vance, to make ready for Him, in the cities and villages 
through which He intended to pass. Who these messen- 
gers were, and in what sense they were to prepare for 
His coming, is not recorded ; but they were probably in- 
structed to announce Him as the King so long promised 
and expected. We certainly can not accept the sug- 



514 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

gestion that their sole business was to prepare lodgings 
for Him. This would have savored more of the soft and 
ease-loving temper of an earthly prince, than of the self- 
denial of the Son of man who had not where to lay His 
head. We rather incline to the opinion that these mes- 
sengers were sent forth as the accredited heralds of the 
King, and that their mission was to call upon the people 
to receive Him gladly and do Him homage. 

The messengers found the inhabitants of a certain Sa- 
maritan village inhospitable, if not positively hostile ; 
they refused to receive the Lord, a because His face was 
as though He would go to Jerusalem." Had it been His 
declared intention to worship at Mount Gerizim, they 
would doubtless have received Him with open arms. 

"When James and John, the " sons of thunder," exult- 
ing as they probably were in the belief that their Master 
was about to ascend the throne of David, saw the indig- 
nity which was offered Him by these Samaritan villagers, 
their anger was stirred, and they said to Jesus, "Lord, wilt 
Thou that we command fire to come down from heaven 
and consume them, even as Elijah did?" They alluded 
to the destruction by fire of the two companies sent by 
the dying Ahaziah to arrest the prophet Elijah* They 
were carried away by a generous zeal, which however 
was not according to knowledge. Jesus therefore turned 
and rebuked them, saying, " Ye know not what spirit ye 
are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's 
lives, but to save them." As if He had said, " Can you 
still be ignorant that the Spirit of my kingdom — that 
Spirit to which you belong — is not one of wrath and ven- 
geance, but rather of gentleness, long-suffering and forgive- 
ness ? Elijah was a minister of fearful judgments to an 
idolatrous people ; I am come, not to destroy, but to save." 

*n. Kings i. 10, 12. 



FINAL DEPABTUBE FEOItl GALILEE. 515 

Having spoken these words, doubtless in the hearing 
of the Samaritans, Jesus meekly left them and sought 
repose in another village. This last may have been in 
Galilee. We conjecture that the two villages were near 
each other, on opposite sides of the line between the 
provinces. This rejection by the Samaritans was final ; 
the Lord did not again visit them. It is very interesting, 
however, to know that the same John who desired to call 
down fire from heaven on the Samaritans, afterwards 
went down to Samaria to confer the gift of the Holy 
Ghost on the Samaritan believers."* 

It may have been one who had witnessed this very 
scene, that said to our Lord, as He was pursuing His way : 
"Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever Thou goest." The 
reply of Jesus carries an allusion to His homeless and house- 
less state, just refused, as He had been, shelter for a night: 
" Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests ; but 
the Son of man hath not where to lay His head." That 
is to say, " If you will follow Me, you must renounce all 
hope of earthly ease and comfort; for I Myself am a 
houseless pilgrim and wanderer." To another He said, 
" Follow Me." The summons was sudden and peculiarly 
trying, for the person addressed had at home a father 
either at the point of death or already dead, to whom He 
felt bound by filial duty and affection : " Lord, suffer me 
first to go and bury my father." "Let the dead," Jesus 
rejoined, " bury their dead ; but go thou and preach the 
kingdom of God." Those who are dead in worldliness 
and sin are competent to bury their dead ; that is their 
appropriate work; but you have to do, not with death, 
but with life ; you are called to preach the glad tidings 
of salvation ; enter at once on your mission." Another 
also said to Jesus, " Lord, I will follow Thee ; but let me 

* Acts viii. 14-17. 



516 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

first go and bid them farewell which are at home at my 
house." Even natural affection must be sacrificed, at this 
crisis, by the personal followers of the Lord. He is about 
to suffer and to be received up ; and the work of preach- 
ing the kingdom of God must, during the next few weeks, . 
be prosecuted with energy by a multitude of evangelists. 
Therefore He said to the hesitating disciple, "No man, 
having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is 
fit for the kingdom of God." He who has his hand on 
the plough must look forward, that his furrow may be in 
a right line ; if he look behind, his work will be marred. 
The minister of the gospel, especially, whose business is 
to plough, — not seldom to break up fallow ground full of 
roots and stones, — must beware of a divided mind and 
of backward looks. 

It is probable that our Lord, thus repelled from the 
borders of Samaria, determined to pass over the Jordan 
into Perea, where the people were less prejudiced and 
hostile than the inhabitants of Galilee and Judea. It is 
evident that He meditated, not a rapid journey, but a 
somewhat extended missionary tour; for it was at this 
time that He appointed "seventy others also, and sent 
them two and two, before His face, into every city and 
place whither He Himself would come." This mission 
of the seventy has been misunderstood and unduly mag- 
nified. It has been generally regarded, even by the most 
learned and judicious commentators, as in some. degree 
apostolic in its design, as if the phrase "other seventy" 
carried an allusion to the twelve who were set apart to the 
highest ministry in the church. Such an interpretation 
is neither necessary nor eligible. The reader will re- 
member that when Jesus steadfastly set His face to go 
up to Jerusalem, He sent forward messengers to make 
ready for Him. The number of these messengers is not 
recorded, but it was probably small. When He turned 



FINAL DEPARTURE FROM GALILEE. 517 

away from Samaria to go into Perea, His plan required 
that the number of His heralds should be increased ; and 
He therefore appointed seventy others, to announce His 
coming in every place which He intended to visit. Their 
mission was special and temporary, continuing perhaps 
not more than two or three days. They would probably 
be able to visit thirty-five or forty villages in a single 
day ; and as they were only to visit such as Jesus Him- 
self was soon to enter, their work was no doubt speed- 
ily accomplished. Their mission was indeed important, 
though brief, and therefore called for special instructions. 
They were to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah ; and in so 
doing they were, in the main, to imitate the apostles, and 
like them they were empowered to work miracles in 
proof of their authority ; but their commission contains 
no hint that their ministry was to be of long duration, 
and it was expressly limited to the few places which 
Jesus purposed to visit on His journey to Jerusalem. 
Some indeed have seen a mystical significance in the 
number seventy ; but they overlook the fact that the 
whole number of messengers is quite unknown ; for the 
seventy were an addition to the force already in the field. 
If they were associated with the apostles, there were in 
all, eighty-two, which is not claimed as a sacred number. 
But as their coadjutors were probably the messengers 
previously sent forth, it is difficult to perceive in the 
number any occult allusion to the seventy elders of 
Israel, to the seventy members of the Sanhedrim, or to 
any other seventy Jews or Gentiles. As many were 
sent forth as were needed for the work in hand, — neither 
more nor less. 

It is probable, as they went out two and two, that they 
frequently returned to report progress. And they all told 
the same story, declaring with joy not unmixed with vain- 
glory, that even the demons were subject to them through 



518 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

the name of Christ. Our Lord's reply is memorable: 
"I beheld Satan fall as lightning from heaven. Behold, 
I give nnto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, 
and over all the power of the enemy ; and nothing shall 
by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding, in this rejoice 
not because the spirits are subject unto you ; but rather 
rejoice because your names are written in heaven." 

In this moment of victory, our Lord had a foretaste of 
the joy set before Him. He " rejoiced in spirit, and said, 
I thank Thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that 
thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, 
and hast revealed them unto babes ; even so, Father ; for 
so it seemed good in Thy sight. All things are delivered 
to Me of my Father ; and no man knoweth who the Son 
is but the Father : and who the Father is but the Son, 
and he to whom the Son will reveal Him." This acknowl- 
edgment of the divine sovereignty in the selection of 
babes — of little children and those who are like little 
children, — in preference to the wise and prudent of this 
world, who by reason of pride and self-sufficiency are in- 
capable of discerning spiritual things, is not to be inter- 
preted as implying an arbitrary decree of reprobation 
in respect to the latter; but rather as setting forth the 
general principle of the divine administration, that the 
simple-hearted, the teachable, the trustful, — in a word, 
the child-like, and they alone, are the chosen subjects of 
that supernatural illumination by which the divine in the 
gospel is discerned. The communication of all things 
from the Father to the Son, and the mutual consciousness 
in which they are fully known to each other, are a com- 
plete proof that the Father and the Son are of the same 
substance, power and divinity. The work of the third 
Person of the adorable Trinity is intimated in clauses 
which set forth the revelation of the Father by the Son 
to susceptible souls. Having given utterance to His sub- 



FINAL DEPARTURE FROM GALILEE. 519 

lime joy, Jesus turned to His disciples and said privately : 
" Blessed are the eyes which see the things which ye see ; 
for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired 
to see the things which ye see and have not seen them ; 
and to hear the things which ye hear and have not heard 
them." 

Where the following incident occurred is unknown; 
probably in Perea. A certain lawyer, or scribe, who pro- 
fessed a special knowledge of the law, stood up, not it 
would seem in a hostile but rather in a self-righteous and 
self-sufficient spirit, and questioned Jesus, to test His 
knowledge and skill. u Master," he asked, " what shall I 
do to inherit eternal life ? " Jesus answered in the usual 
rabbinical form : u What is written in the law ? How 
readest thou?" The lawyer, reading perhaps from his 
phylactery, replied, " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God 
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy 
strength, and with all thy mind ; and thy neighbor as 
thyself." Jesus simply said, " Thou hast answered right ; 
this do, and thou shalt live." The lawyer, having pro- 
posed a profound and important question, with a view to 
elicit discussion, was confounded and mortified at thus 
being forced to answer his own question, in a manner so 
direct and simple. Anxious to show that his question 
was really a difficult one, and willing to justify himself, 
he asked again, "And who is my neighbor ?" The scribes 
and Pharisees had put on the word a narrow and techni- 
cal interpretation by which the Samaritans and Gentiles 
were excluded. Our Lord improved the opportunity thus 
offered to impart larger instruction than the lawyer had 
sought : 

" A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, 
and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his raiment, 
and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 
And by chance there came down a certain priest that 



520 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

way ; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other 
side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, 
came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 
But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he 
was ; and when he saw him he had compassion on him, 
and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil 
and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him 
to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow, 
when he departed, he took out two pence and gave them 
to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and 
whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again I 
will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest 
thou, was neighbor to him that fell among the thieves ? 
And the lawyer said, He that showed mercy on him. 
Then said Jesus unto him, go, a:n t d do thou likewise." 

The parable needs no explanation, and its perennial 
lesson no enforcement. 



CHAPTER II. 
PROGRESS OF THE PEREAN MINISTRY. 

JESUS TEACHES HIS DISCIPLES TO PRAY — HEALS A DUMB MAN — THE PHAR- 
ISEES BLASPHEME — A WOMAN BLESSES HIM — HE DENOUNCES THE 
SCRIBES AND PHARISEES HE DECLINES THE OFFICE OF CIVIL ARBI- 
TER — PARABLE OF THE RICH FOOL — DISCOURSE ON TRUST IN PROVI- 
DENCE, READINESS FOR THE LORD'S COMING, ETC. 

Luke xi. 1-54 ; xn. 1-59. 

We have reached a period of our Lord's history which 
abounds in chronological and harmonistic difficulties, 
many of which are apparently insoluble. The plan of 
this work forbids any formal discussion of these difficul- 
ties; but it is important to remark that they are not 
such as imply any contradiction between the evangelists. 
It is quite clear that Luke, on whose guidance we now 
mainly rely, groups events and discourses without much 
reference to their order in time, introducing many things 
in this central part of his gospel, which undoubtedly be- 
long to an earlier or later period of our Lord's life. Some 
of the incidents related by him, though they have a close 
resemblance to certain others narrated by the other evan- 
gelists, are doubtless to be regarded as separate. And so, 
too, some of the discourses which might at first strike 
the reader as identical with similar ones recorded by 
Matthew and Mark, must be pronounced, on careful ex- 
amination, to be repetitions of the same on quite different 
occasions. This remark is perhaps applicable to the heal- 



522 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

ing of the dumb man, and the discourse founded upon 
it, recorded, Luke xi. 14-26, and also to the discourse 
recorded, verses 29-52 of the same chapter. For a full 
exposition of such passages, the reader is referred to 
Afford, Lange, Van Oosterzee, and other learned commen- 
tators on the four gospels. The separate treatment of 
them would be incompatible with the design of this book. 
Some incidents and sayings peculiar to Luke are, how- 
ever, of transcendent interest and beauty, and must by 
no means be omitted. 

It is quite certain that Jesus often prayed with His dis- 
ciples. Some of His prayers are recorded, and others 
are noted as having been uttered. On one occasion, after 
He had concluded, one of His disciples said to Him, 
" Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disci- 
ples." In reply, Jesus recited the substance of the form 
which He had long before given in the Sermon on the 
Mount:* "When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in 
heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. 
Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day 
by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins \ for we 
also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead 
us not into temptation ; but deliver us from evil." It is 
probable that the disciple who sought instruction of our 
Lord was a new convert; otherwise he would have remem- 
bered the earlier version of the same prayer ; but the re- 
quest is remarkable, not only as showing the care and 
fidelity of the Baptist in training his disciples, but as a 
proof that, hitherto, no forms of prayer had been in use 
among the followers of Jesus. It would seem highly 
probable to us that the form given in the Sermon on the 
Mount would have at once been adopted and used litur- 
gically by the disciples in their daily devotions. This 

* Matthew vi. 9-13. 



PROGRESS OF THE PEREAN MINISTRY. 523 

certainly was not the case, or this disciple would already 
have become familiar with it. 

This is not all ; the fact that our Lord, at this time, gives 
the prayer with important verbal variations, proves that 
He did not prescribe it as a set form, to be binding on His 
church, either then or in following ages. It is a proof 
that He intended that the worship of His people should 
be free and spontaneous, unshackled by laws and regula- 
tions touching the outward form. This general principle 
does not forbid the use of the Lord's prayer, or any other 
liturgical forms, when prompted by love. That Jesus 
attached comparatively little importance to the form of 
prayer, is evident from His discourse on this occasion. 
" Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him 
at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three 
loaves ; for a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, 
and I have nothing to set before him? And he from 
within shall answer and say, Trouble me not; the door 
is now shut and my children are with me in bed ; I can 
not rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will 
not rise and give him because he is his friend, yet because 
of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as 
he needeth." This parable has the same general design 
with that of the unjust judge,* with which it is com- 
pared by Trench, who sums up both in language singu- 
larly terse and felicitous : a If selfish man can be won by 
prayer and importunity to give, and unjust man to do 
right, much more certainly shall the bountiful Lord bestow 
and the righteous Lord do justice."! But let it not, for a 
moment, be supposed that our Lord intends to intimate 
that there is any real reluctance in the heart of God to 
bestow blessings on His needy creatures. On the con- 
trary He goes on, in this discourse, as in the Sermon on 

* Luke xviii. 2-8. t Parables, page 291. 



524 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

the Mount,* to assure His disciples of God's paternal readi- 
ness to supply their wants, in answer to their prayers, 
with all good things. The kind of reluctance to be over- 
come by importunate prayer, is illustrated in our Lord's 
treatment of the Syro-Phenician woman.f 

The presence and miracles of our Lord in Perea created 
a popular excitement not less intense than that which 
marked the history of His ministry in Galilee. He en- 
countered hostility from the ruling class scarcely less 
bitter than that which had compelled Him to leave Ca- 
pernaum. Here, as well as there, were some who ac- 
cused Him of casting out devils through Beelzebub, the 
chief of the devils. In reply to this our Lord follows 
a line of argument and denunciation, nearly identical 
with that on the former occasion ; and He delivers at the 
same time a discourse to the people, which was, in sub- 
stance, a partial anticipation of that most terrible dis- 
course which He addressed to Llis enemies just before 
His final departure from the temple. Having already 
noticed the reasonings by which He refuted the charge 
of the blaspheming Pharisees, we postpone our remarks 
on the popular address to a future chapter. J 

It was in some connection with these discourses of 
Jesus, that a woman in the assembly exclaimed, in a loud 
voice, " Blessed is the womb that bare Thee, and the paps 
which Thou hast sucked ! " It is difficult to decide with 
what degree of intelligence this was spoken. It may have 
been, as Alford conjectures, the language of "common- 
place and unintelligent wonder at the sayings and doings of 
Jesus ; " but it may also have been prompted by genuine, 
adoring faith, apprehending intuitively the mystery of the 
incarnation. The woman, for aught that appears, may 
have long been a disciple ; and our Lord's reply, though 

* Matt, m 7-11. t See Part VII., Chap. HI. $ See Part IX., Chap. YIII. 



PROGRESS OF THE PEREAN MINISTRY. 525 

slightly admonitory, by no means forbids the supposition : 
"Yea, rather/' [or yes, indeed, hut) "blessed are they that 
hear the word of God and keep it." Jesus does not deny 
that His mother was singularly blessed in having borne 
and nurtured Him ; He rather asserts it ; but He declares 
that faith and obedience secure a still higher blessed- 
ness, — an answer which cuts away the very roots of that 
Mariolatry which overshadows so large a portion of the 
Christian world, but one also which sanctions a legitimate 
reverence for the entirely human but pure and gracious 
mother of the incarnate Word. Even her chief blessed- 
ness lay in the fact that she heard and kept the word of 
God ; and that is a blessedness of which all true believers 
are partakers. Jesus had not long before declared that 
whosoever obeyed the will of God, was His brother and 
sister and mother.* 

About this time, while our Lord was speaking to His 
disciples against the fear of man and distrust of Provi- 
dence,! exhorting them to deny themselves and confess 
Him openly, while they entrusted their lives to Him who 
forgets not even the sparrows, and numbers the hairs on 
the heads of His people, a certain man who, perhaps, had 
been oppressed and defrauded by his brother, regarding 
Jesus as a temporal Messiah, or at least, as a great Prophet, 
said to Him : " Master, speak to my brother that he di- 
vide the inheritance with me." Jesus, almost in the very 
words of the Israelite to Moses, t answered: "Man, who 
made Me a judge or a divider over you?" The words 
are of great importance, as setting forth the nature and 
extent of Christ's office as King and Judge. While He 
insisted everywhere and at all times that He was a real 
king, He claimed, in this world, only the authority of a 
legislator, adjourning to a future age, a future world, the 

# Matthew xii. 50. t Luke xii. $ Exodus iL 14. 



526 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

actual distribution of rewards and punishments. In this 
respect His office appears in strong contrast with that of 
Moses, whose legislation was, in an important sense, for 
time, and whose administration extended to all the details 
of secular affairs. It was not, therefore, by accident that 
Jesus quoted, in substance, the words of the rebellious 
Hebrew in Egypt.* It is scarcely necessary to suggest 
that this view of Christ's dominion is fatal to the tempo- 
ral power and pretensions which have, for so many ages, 
been maintained by the self-styled vicar of Christ on earth. 

Jesus, always watchful for opportunities for impressing 
practical lessons on the minds of His hearers, takes occa- 
sion from this ill-timed request, which may have been 
prompted by avarice, to warn His disciples against a 
greedy, idolatrous love of earthly riches : " Take heed 
and beware of covetousness ; for a man's life consisteth 
not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth." 
He then added the following parable : tt The ground of a 
certain rich man brought forth plentifully. And he 
thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because 
I have no room where to bestow my fruits ? And he 
said, This will I do : I will pull down my barns and build 
greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my 
goods. And I will say to my soul, soul, thou hast much 
goods laid up for many years ; take thine ease, eat, drink 
and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this 
night thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose shall 
those things be which thou hast provided ? So is he that 
layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." 

The wonderfully beautiful discourse which Luke records 
in connection with this parable, is in part a repetition of 
certain passages in the Sermon on the Mount, t These 



* See the striking remarks on Christ's Kingship, in Ecce Homo. 
t Compare Matthew vi. 25-34, with Luke xii. 22-34. 



PEOGEESS OF THE PEEEAN MINISTEY. 527 

have been noticed in a former chapter* Some of the 
additional matter, however, may well arrest and fix our 
attention. What inimitable tenderness in the words, 
" Fear not, little flock ; for it is your Father's good pleas- 
ure to give you the kingdom." This is the language of 
the Good Shepherd, who carries His sheep in His bosom, 
and assures them of continued guidance and protection, 
till they are all safely folded in heaven. The kingdom 
of God, which is now theirs in tribulation and patience, 
shall be theirs in its triumphant glory and blessedness. 
To secure that kingdom, no earthly sacrifice ought to be 
accounted great or painful. No ; let the world, with its 
pomps and pleasures, be gladly forsaken for an inheri- 
tance in the skies ! "Sell that ye have, and give alms; 
provide yourselves bags that wax not old, a treasure in 
the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, 
neither moth corrupteth." Jesus goes on to urge the im- 
portance of vigilant preparation and constant readiness for 
the approaching kingdom : " Let your loins be girded 
about and your lights burning; and be yourselves like 
unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from 
the wedding; that, when he cometh and knocketh, they 
may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those ser- 
vants whom the lord when he cometh shall find watch- 
ing ; verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, 
and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth 
to serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, 
or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are 
those servants. And this know, that if the good man of 
the house had known what hour the thief would come, he 
would have watched, and not have suffered his house to 
be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also ; for the 
Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not." 

*See PartY., Chapter X. 



528 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

Continuing in the same strain, our Lord solemnly warns 
His disciples against taking any encouragement from what 
might appear the delay of His coming, to abate their zeal, 
relax their fidelity, or tyrannize over their fellow-servants 
— a warning which ought especially to be heeded in the 
present season of delay, when scoffers are saying, with 
more than the exulting malice of then ancient prototypes, 
"Where is the promise of His coming? for since the 
fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from 
the beginning of the creation."* "I am come," says the 
Lord, " to send fire on the earth; and what will I? would 
that it were already kindled ? " t The fire which Jesus 
came to send into the earth — that is to say, into the hu- 
man world — is the fire spoken of by John the Baptist : 
"He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with 
fire." He came down from heaven to kindle in human 
hearts and in human society, by the special energy of 
the Holy Ghost, a blessed and purifying conflagration of 
holy love ; and He longed, with divine ardor, to see that 
conflagration spreading through the world. But ere this 
great end of His mission could be realized, He must 
needs suffer : "I have a baptism to be baptized with; and 
how am I straitened till it be accomplished ! " Amazing 
words, expressive of a spirit of self-sacrifice all divine! 
Looking forward to the time, when He would be swal- 
lowed up and overwhelmed by the billows of His death 
and passion, He expresses a holy eagerness and impa- 
tience for the consummation of His sacrifice ! Lamb of 
God, have mercy on us, who so often shrink from petty 
trials in the prosecution of our work. 

Jesus forewarns His disciples, that the first effect of 
the heavenly fire which He would send into the earth, 

*II. Peter iii. 4. 

t It seems to be settled that this is the correct rendering of Luke xii. 49. 
See Alford in loco. 



PROGRESS OF THE PEREAN MINISTRY. 529 

would be to stir up the natural enmity of the human 
heart to the divine and holy, and thus to occasion con- 
tention among men : " Suppose ye that I am come to give 
peace on earth ? I tell you, Nay ; but rather division ; 
for from henceforth there shall be five in one house di- 
vided, three against two, and two against three. The 
father shall be divided against the son, and the son against 
the father; the mother against the daughter, and the 
daughter against the mother ; the mother-in-law against 
her daughter-in-law, and the daughter-in-law against her 
mother-in-law." It is not, of course, implied in these 
startling words that our Lord came into the world to 
create division ; His mission, as proclaimed by the herald- 
angels, was one of peace on earth ; and the tendency of 
His religion is to promote mutual good-will and harmony 
among men ; but during the period of its conflict with 
the selfishness and enmity of human nature, there must 
necessarily be division and strife. The time will come, 
however, when the spirit of Christ will have gained the 
mastery over the insurgent and malevolent passions of 
the human heart, and then "peace will lie like a shaft of 
light across the land and like a lane of beams athwart the 
sea." "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the 
leopard shall lie down with the kid ; and the calf and the 
young lion and the fatling together; and a little child 
skall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed ; 
their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion 
shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall 
play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall 
put his hand on the cockatrice's den. They shall not hurt 
nor destroy in all my holy mountain ; for the earth shall 
be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover 
the sea," # 



* Isaiah xi. 6-9. 
34 



CHAPTEE III. 

FURTHER PROGRESS OF THE PEREAN MINISTRY. 

JESUS PROSECUTES HIS MINISTRY IN PEREA — INFORMED OF PILATE'S 
SLAUGHTER OF THE GALILEANS — HIS APPLICATION OF THE FACT — 
PARABLE OF THE BARREN FIG-TREE — HEALS THE INFIRM WOMAN — 
THE RULER OF THE SYNAGOGUE CONDEMNS THE ACT — IS REBUKED 
BY JESUS — REPLIES TO THE QUERY AS TO THE NUMBER OF THE 
SAVED — IS WARNED OF HEROD'S HOSTILITY — HIS REPLY. 

Matthew xix. 1, 2. Mark x. 1. Luke xra. 10-35. 

The particular stage in His progress through Perea 
which our Lord had now reached, and the immediate 
neighborhood in which He was now preaching, we have 
no means of determining. The materials afforded by the 
sacred narrative for forming a satisfactory judgment on 
these, — as indeed on all other facts of the kind connected 
with the Perean ministry, — are exceedingly scanty. We 
gather, however, from the narrative, that our Lord was 
actively employed in prosecuting His missionary labors 
among the Pereans. It is a noticeable fact, also, that in 
these labors, He appears to be less occupied with work- 
ing miracles than formerly. His time seems to have 
been chiefly taken up in teaching, and in solving the dif- 
ficulties of those who came to Him with questions. 

On one occasion there came certain persons to Him 
with the news that in a recent outbreak at one of the 
feasts, Pilate had slaughtered a number of Galileans in 
the outer court of the temple. It was added as a fact of 



FURTHER PROGRESS OF THE PEREAN MINISTRY. 531 

great significance, that their blood had even been mingled 
with the sacrifices. Aside from the narrative here given 
by Luke, we know nothing of the fact related. It is not 
elsewhere mentioned in history. We have, however, no 
reason to doubt its authenticity. The statement is made 
in the manner of one who was well acquainted with the 
fact, and who regarded it as generally known at the 
time. It is a matter of history also, that such inci- 
dents were of frequent occurrence among the Jews of 
this period. The occasion which led to the recital would 
seem to be this : — The Jewish mind could not get rid of 
the idea that the Messiah was to be a temporal prince 
who should deliver them from Roman domination. This 
sacrilegious slaughter of the Galileans in the temple, 
by Pilate, was calculated to shock both Jewish prejudice 
and patriotism. The question, then, would naturally 
arise, "Will not Jesus, if He be really the Christ, be 
roused by such an act of cruelty and profanation, to assert 
His supremacy and revenge these wrongs ? Let us at 
least tell Him the facts, and see what He says about it." 
With characteristic tact, our Lord avoids any com- 
mittal of Himself on civil questions, and turns the inci- 
dent to moral account. As far back as the days of Job, 
the oriental mind had carried its ideas of guilt and retri- 
bution so far as to hold that the measure of temporal 
misfortune must be the measure of concealed sin. Seiz- 
ing upon this fact, our Lord not only changes the current 
of their thoughts, but brings them to a most unexpected 
issue. "That was a grievous calamity, and you regard 
such events as retributive. But is it to be supposed 
[ that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, 
because they suffered these things ?' Or take the case 
of the * eighteen upon whom the tower of Siloam fell and 
slew them/ and which would seem to be more directly 
attributable to Divine Providence; is it to be taken for 



532 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

granted that c they were sinners above all men that dwelt 
in Jerusalem/ because this disaster overtook them ? ' I 
tell you, Nay ; but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise 
perish/ Retribution is not exactly meted out to man in 
this life. Hence, you can not, from a man's fortunes or 
misfortunes, determine his relative merit or demerit. No 
such doom as that of the Galileans has overtaken you; 
but it neither follows that you have less need of repent- 
ance, nor that you are less liable to calamity." 

Our Lord proceeds to set before His hearers more dis- 
tinctly the two important truths : that men are often 
quite as blameworthy for leaving undone what is enjoined, 
as for doing what is forbidden ; and that the continuance 
of sparing mercy is not at all due to their worthiness, but 
wholly to the long-suffering patience of Gocl. These, we 
take it, are the principal lessons taught in the parable of 
the barren fig-tree ; which, however, had also a special 
reference to God's dealings with the Jewish nations at 
this time : "A certain man had a fig-tree planted in his 
vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and 
found none. Then said he to the dresser of the vine- 
yard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on 
this fig-tree, and find none ; cut it down ; why cumbereth 
it the ground ? And he answering said unto him, Lord, 
let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and 
•dung it ; and if it bear fruit, well 5 and if not, then after 
that thou shalt cut it down." 

Not long after the preceding incidents, possibly on the 
succeeding Sabbath, Jesus wrought a miracle which re- 
newed the old dispute as to His divine authority over 
times and seasons. As He was teaching in the syna- 
gogue, He observed among the people present " a woman 
which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was 
bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself." 
Immediately calling her to Him He said to her, " Woman, 



FUKTHEK PROGRESS OF THE PEREAN MINISTRY. 533 

thou art loosed from thine infirmity/' and laying His hands 
upon her, healed her, so that * she was made straight and 
glorified God." A blessed change for the sufferer ! All 
this long, weary bondage to deformity and helplessness, 
to commiseration and ridicule, was over. How must every 
observer have rejoiced in his heart, as he saw her lift her 
bent frame to the upright form and fair proportions of 
womanhood ! 

But no ! In one heart a malign spirit held sway. The 
ruler of the synagogue, with true Pharisaic bigotry, took 
offense, because this blessed work of relief and restoration 
had been wrought on the Sabbath day. Jesus had not 
neglected justice, judgment and mercy; but He had failed 
to pay tithes in Pharisaical mint, anise and cumin ; He had 
transgressed the tradition of the elders. So the ruler of 
the synagogue, indignant yet half conscious of his mean- 
ness, indirectly reproved our Lord by his rebuke to the 
woman who had been healed. " There are six days," said 
he, "in which men ought to work; in them therefore 
come and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day." All our 
Lord's divine sense of justice and mercy was roused within 
Him. His indignation flashed upon the culprit in scathing 
words: "Thou hypocrite; doth not each of you on the 
Sabbath day loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead 
him away to watering. And ought not this woman, being 
a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these 
eighteen years, to be loosed from this bond on the Sab- 
bath day?" 

The full force of this rebuke can only be seen by noting 
the striking contrasts embraced in the illustration : the 
objects of concern are, on the one hand, a dumb beast ; on 
the other, a daughter of Abraham ; the beast was simply 
tied to his stall where he was fed ; the woman was bound 
down by a painful infirmity; the former had been confined 
but a few hours ; the bondage of the latter had been of 



534 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

eighteen years' duration ; the occasion of loosing the beast 
on the Sabbath was merely that he might be watered; 
that of the woman, that she might be restored to a life 
of health and comfort.* A contrast so well-chosen roused 
the sympathies of the hearers ; our Lord's adversaries 
were confounded, and the people rejoiced. 

As our Lord continued His journey toward Jerusalem, 
preaching in the cities and villages that lay along His 
route, in a certain place, one of His hearers put the ques- 
tion to Him, "Lord are there few that be saved?" The 
question, as it was put, had really no practical impor- 
tance, — so without answering it directly, Jesus proceeded 
to set forth, and impress upon the mind of the questioner 
certain collateral truths of the first moment. His lan- 
guage has much this force : " Whether there be few or 
many saved, it concerns you little to know. But it does 
concern you to know that your own salvation requires 
faithful and strenuous effort. It does concern you to 
know that many are fearfully self-deceived as to their 
hopes of salvation ; and do you beware that you are not 
among them. It does concern you to know that there 
is a limit to the divine patience ; that there is a point 
w T here the sinner's procrastination closes the door of hope 
against him. It does concern you to know that those 
most favored with the means of grace, are most in dan- 
ger of coming short of the kingdom of God through pre- 
sumption and delay. Keep this in mind, and see to it 
that, dismissing all idle questions, you ' strive to enter in 
at the strait gate ; for many, I say unto you, shall seek to 
enter in, and shall not be able.' " 

On the same day, a curious incident occurred : certain 
of His sworn enemies the Pharisees, with great seeming 
friendliness came to Him and said : " Get thee out and 

# See Alford, in loco. 



FURTHER PROGRESS OF THE PEREAN MINISTRY. 535 

depart hence; for Herod will kill thee." What their 
object was, is not quite clear. Some suppose that Herod, 
uneasy at the popular excitement which attended our 
Lord's progress, sent these Pharisees with this report to 
Jesus in order to hasten His departure from that region. 
A better explanation makes the whole a device of the 
Pharisees themselves, who sought in this way to hurry 
Him forward to Jerusalem, where their plans for His de- 
struction were now maturing. Our Lord's message seem- 
ingly addressed to Herod, is not necessarily at variance 
with this view. He sees clearly that the Pharisees are at 
the bottom of the whole scheme, yet prudently guards 
agamst betraying His conviction of the fact. Hence, 
humoring their representation of the matter, he says : 
a Go tell that fox, that the violent designs of my ene- 
mies are as yet idle. My divine mission is not ended. 
I must yet cast out devils and do cures, and not till after 
this work is done will the time come for Me to be made 
perfect through suffering. Besides this, 'It can not be 
that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.' That is the 
place of peril; I am safe enough till I get there; then 
I am prepared to meet violence and death." 

Our Lord's reference to this probably proverbial saying, 
then naturally led Him in view of the accumulated guilt 
and approaching doom of Jerusalem, to break out into 
that passionate exclamation, at once so reproachful and 
so tender ; so sternly yet sadly prophetic: a Jerusalem, 
Jerusalem, which killest the prophets and stonest them 
that are sent unto thee ; how often would I have gathered 
thy children together, as a hen gathereth her brood under 
her wings, and ye would not. Behold your house is left 
unto you desolate. And verily I say unto you, ye shall 
not see me until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed 
is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE FEAST OF DEDICATION. 

JESUS GOES UP TO JERUSALEM — VISITS MARTHA AND MARY — INCIDENTS 
AND CONVERSATION — JESUS AT THE FEAST — DISPUTE WITH THE JEWS — 
THEY ATTEMPT VIOLENCE — HE RETIRES TO BETHABARA AND THERE 

ABIDES. 

John x. 22-42. Luke x. 38-4 

The Feast of Dedication was instituted by the Macca- 
bees (B. C. 164) in commemoration of the deliverance of 
the nation from the Syrians, and of the cleansing and re- 
consecration of the temple after its long sacrilegious de- 
filement. The festival was as much one of patriotism as 
of religion, and it might be celebrated throughout the 
land as well as at Jerusalem. Our Lord was under no le- 
gal obligation to- go up to the Holy City, and there must 
have been some special reason for the journey. What 
this was we can only infer from the general situation. 
We have seen that when He left Galilee, He sent special 
messengers to announce not only His coming but His 
character as the Messiah. This period of His ministry 
is marked, therefore, by the widest publicity rather than 
by the reserve and concealment which were maintained 
during His later ministry in Galilee. It is reasonably 
conjectured, therefore, that one end of His present jour- 
ney was to show Himself more openly at Jerusalem, as 
the Messiah, than He had hitherto done, and to secure a 
general proclamation of His divine mission. Perhaps also 
He longed for the society of certain friends whom He 
tenderly loved and whose residence was near Jerusalem. 



THE FEAST OF DEDICATION. 537 

Our history now first introduces us to a family at 
Bethany, associated with the name of Jesus and with the 
later weeks of His life in a way peculiarly sacred and 
tender. This family included two sisters, Martha and 
Mary, and a younger brother, Lazarus. Martha may, for 
aught that appears, have had a husband living, or a 
father ; but she was, in any case, the real head of the 
household. She was probably in affluent circumstances, 
and could afford to indulge a hospitable disposition. She 
belonged to a class of women, more numerous in modern 
times and occidental lands than among the Jews in the 
time of Christ, — women of great energy, skill, and des- 
patch in the management of household affairs. We pic- 
ture her to ourselves as the most notable housewife in 
Bethany. Her doors were always open to her friends, 
who never lacked kind attention and liberal entertain- 
ment. She w r as evidently capable of strong attachments 
and deep religious faith ; but her bustling, thrifty course 
of life did not indicate what we should call predominant 
spirituality. She was not sordid and avaricious ; but her 
devotion to secular duties may have appeared to many 
so intense as to mark her character as worldly. Her turn 
of mind was practical and matter-of-fact, rather than 
meditative and devotional; she was largely endowed 
with what American women of a former generation called 
faculty ; her religious views were somewhat clouded, and 
her spiritual nature a little dulled by her incessant occu- 
pation with outward things. After all abatements and 
qualifications, however, we feel for Martha an unfeigned 
admiration. She loved the Saviour, in her way, as truly 
as her sister, who was of a quite different character and 
temperament. Mary was, we conjecture, considerably 
younger than Martha, who may even have filled the 
place of a mother to her. Mary felt little interest in 
the world around her ; she lived in the spiritual ; she was 



538 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

given to religious contemplation ; her whole soul was ab- 
sorbed in the divine and eternal. Though no word of 
hers has come down to us, though she appears in the 
history as even helplessly silent, there is abundant evi- 
dence that no human being was in closer sympathy with 
Jesus, or better understood the mystery of His person, 
the divine wisdom of His teachings, and the necessity 
of His cross and passion, than this mute, deep-hearted 
woman. Of Lazarus little is recorded except that Jesus 
loved him, and wrought His most resplendent miracle to 
call him back from the grave. He probably resembled 
in character his sister Mary. 

How and when Jesus had become acquainted with this 
lovely family, we know not. We infer from their inti- 
mate relations that the connection had been of long 
standing. It is possible that they had formerly resided 
in Galilee, though the evangelists give no hint of such a 
fact. It is certain, however, that the house of Martha 
was, more than any other, our Lord's earthly home, when- 
ever He went up to Jerusalem. We are not surprised, 
therefore, that, when He went up from Perea to attend 
the Feast of Dedication, He became her guest. When 
He entered their dwelling the difference in character be- 
tween the sisters became at once apparent. Both were 
doubtless full of joy, but of a joy which expressed itself 
in ways singularly characteristic of each. Scarcely had 
Jesus seated Himself in the guest-room, when Martha, 
" on hospitable thoughts intent," disappeared • but Mary 
took her usual place at the feet of her Master, to listen 
to His words. She forgot the world, her sister, household 
duties, and herself, while that divine voice was sounding 
in her ears. She sat, we fancy, as one entranced, hang- 
ing on the lips, drinking in the words of Him who spake 
as never man spake. With the clear glance of spiritual 
intuition she penetrated metaphor and parable, maxim 



THE FEAST OF DEDICATION. 539 

and precept, and apprehended the living substance of 
divine truth in them all. She was unconscious of time. 
The minutes, perhaps the hours, passed away unnoted. 

Meanwhile Martha is engaged, — doubtless, in another 
apartment, — in preparing the meal for her beloved and 
honored Guest. This is her way of demonstrating her 
affection and reverence. In the largeness of her hos- 
pitality, she has undertaken too much for her unaided 
strength. She is burdened with manifold cares. Possi- 
bly her servants are stupid and maladroit. She is anx- 
ious and "cumbered about much serving." At length her 
trial becomes intolerable. She thinks of Mary sitting in 
blissful peace at Jesus' feet, and a feeling of indignation, 
almost of envy, rises in her heart. Always prompt and 
decided in her ways, and now out of temper, she hastily 
comes to Jesus, not, we conjecture, without a flushed face 
and flashing eyes, and says to Him, almost in a tone of 
reproach, " Lord, dost Thou not care that my sister hath 
left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help 
me." As if she had said : '- It is in vain for me to ask 
her assistance ; she cares not for my toil and fatigue ; 
but if Thou wilt command her, she will lend me a helping 
hand." 

Poor Mary ! thus harshly recalled from her heavenly 
abstraction, what could she say ? how could she appease 
the anger of her sister, whom she had left to serve alone ? 
Probably her first feeling was one of shame, perhaps of 
guilt. May she not have thought within herself: "How 
selfish of me to sit here enjoying the discourse of the 
Master, while my noble sister is wearing out her strength 
to serve Him!" Whatever she thought, she said not a 
word, glancing perhaps meanwhile, in helpless distress, 
from her sister to Jesus. He did for Mary what He is 
always ready to do for His people, when they are unjustly 
accused by man or devil, — He answered for her : " Mar- 



540 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

tha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many 
things; but one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen 
that good part which shall not be taken away from her." 
Doubtless the words are not only admonitory, but in- 
tended to convey a tender reproof; the very repetition 
of the name implies so much. Martha is rebuked for her 
inward impatience, as well as for the external turmoil 
caused by her wish to prepare "many things" for her 
guests, when a simpler entertainment would have been 
sufficient. Having, however, thus mentioned the many 
things which were needless, Jesus proceeds to speak of 
the one spiritual portion — the bread of heaven — the 
living word — which was absolutely essential to the soul's 
life. That "good portion" — the part intrinsically good 
which could not be taken away — Mary had chosen, and 
she was supremely blessed in her choice. We could wish 
that the history had gone on to tell us how Martha bore 
the reproof and Mary the commendation. We venture 
the conjecture that Martha — noble woman that she was — 
at once owned her fault, grew calm and humble, and em- 
braced her sister whom she had rashly blamed ; and that 
Mary rose from her place at the Saviour's feet and took 
part in serving the guests. This conjecture is founded 
not on any words of the evangelist; but on a certain 
page which we have more than once read in the book of 
human nature. 

Jesus is now once more in Jerusalem, walking, in the 
bleak winter weather, under the shelter of Solomon's 
Porch. In this place of public resort, the Jews gather 
around Him. Many of them, at least, had seen and heard 
Him some two months before, at the Feast of Taberna- 
cles ; and they well remembered the parable of the shep- 
herd and the sheep, with which He concluded His dis- 
courses at that time. It was with no friendly purpose that 
they now approached Him: "How long," said they, "dost 



THE FEAST OF DEDICATION. 541 

Thou make us to doubt ? If thou be the Christ, tell us 
plainly." " Thy disciples proclaim Thee as the Messiah ; 
many of Thy words and acts seem to imply that Thou 
regardest Thyself as the Son of David and the King of 
Israel: yet Thou dost not say, in so many words, that 
Thou art He: and thus we are left in a state of painful 
suspense. Put an end to our perplexity by declaring 
whether Thou art the Christ or not." Thus they laid a 
snare for Him ; they sought to draw from Him a decisive 
statement, on which to ground a formal accusation before 
the Sanhedrim. Jesus in effect answers their question ; 
but in such a way as to thwart their malice : " I told you 
and ye believed not; the works which I do in My Father's 
name, they bear witness of Me." He had on various oc- 
casions declared His divine mission and Sonship, not only 
by words which none but wrong-minded hearers could 
have failed to understand, but also by works so evidently 
divine that they fully demonstrated His relation to God 
as His only begotten Son. They had not, however, be- 
lieved, and the cause of their unbelief was now plainly 
declared : " Ye believe not because ye are not of My 
sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear My voice, and 
I know them, and they follow Me ; and I give unto them 
eternal life ; and they shall never perish, neither shall 
any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, who 
gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able 
to pluck them out of My Father's hand. I and My 
Father are one." Thus the unbelief of the Jews is traced 
to their spiritual state ; they were not His sheep, and 
therefore did not hear His voice. All the true members 
of His flock had been given Him by the Father in an 
eternal covenant; and their faith, love, obedience and 
eternal salvation, were secured by His own love and 
protection, and by the Father's power. 

The meaning of the words, " I and My Father are one," 



542 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

has been the subject of long and bitter controversy in 
these later ages ; but those who then heard them had no 
doubt respecting it. They understood Jesus to assert 
that He, standing there in the form of a man, was one in 
essence with the eternal God- for no sooner had the 
words fallen on their ears than they took up stones to 
stone Him. Now mark the conversation which follows : 
" Many good works/' says the Lord, " have I showed you 
from My Father; for which of these works do ye stone 
Me ? The Jews answered Him, saying, For a good work 
we stone Thee not, but for blasphemy ; and because that 
Thou, being a man, makest Thyself God." How does 
Jesus reply to this charge of blasphemy ? By telling 
them that they had utterly misunderstood His words ? 
By assuring them that He was truly but a man, and only 
a son of God, one son among many ? Surely, had they 
fallen into a mistake so gross, a mistake so easily cor- 
rected, He was bound then and there to set them right. 
Instead of this, He reasserts in other words His divine 
Sonship, endeavoring to lead them up from a lower con- 
ception to a higher, by a striking argument from the 
Scriptures : a Is it not written in your law, I said, ye are 
gods ? If He called them gods to whom the word of God 
came, and the Scripture cannot be broken, say ye of Him 
whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world, 
Thou blasphemest, because I said I am the Son of God ? 
If I do not the works of My Father, believe Me not. But 
if I do, though ye believe not Me, believe the works ; that 
ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in Me, 
and I in Him." Hearing this, they again attempted to 
apprehend Him, but He escaped from them, perhaps by 
miracle, and retired to Bethabara, beyond Jordan. 



CHAPTER V. 

JESUS DINES WITH THE PHAKISEE. 



JESUS DINES WITH THE CHIEF PHARISEE — HEALS THE DROPSICAL MAN — 
REBUKES THE GUESTS FOR SEEKING THE CHIEF SEATS — REPROVES 
THE OSTENTATIOUS PRIDE OF THE HOST — UTTERS THE PARABLE OF 
THE GREAT SUPPER — INSISTS ON ENTIRE DEVOTION IN HIS DISCIPLES. 

Luke xrv. 1-35. 

It appears probable that our Lord spent a considerable 
portion of the four months intervening between the Feast 
of Dedication and the Passover in the neighborhood of 
Bethabara. During this sojourn, He was on one occasion 
invited to dine on the Sabbath day with one of the chief 
Pharisees, who was probably so styled not merely from 
his high social standing, but also because of his official 
position either in the synagogue or the Sanhedrim. The 
occurrence of this feast on the Sabbath may strike some 
as singular. But it was customary for the Jews thus to 
entertain their friends on the Sabbath. Although they 
did not allow the cooking of food on that day, their ta- 
bles were generally better spread then than at any other 
time. The motive which led the Pharisee to offer this 
entertainment to our Lord, may have been a desire to 
show Him respect as a prophet; but more probably it 
was an act of ostentatious hospitality. The friends of the 
Pharisee, of whom many appear to have been invited, 
made the feast an occasion for maliciously watching the 
words and actions of Jesus. 



544 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

At this repast, our Lord observed standing immediately 
before Him a man afflicted with dropsy. This man would 
appear to have been seeking Jesus, in faith, desiring to 
be healed, and to have been admitted to the guest-cham- 
ber by the enemies of Jesus, for the purpose of drawing 
Him out. Our Lord, however, understood their object, 
and promptly anticipated their proposed attack. Turning 
to the lawyers and the Pharisees, He said to them : " Is it 
lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?" Perceiving that He 
had divined their intentions, and fearful of being caught 
in their answer, they prudently " held their peace." Hav- 
ing thus silenced them beforehand, Jesus took the drop- 
sical man and healed him, and sent him away. He then 
proceeded to justify the act by summarily appealing to 
their own ideas of humanity and mercy in lesser things ; 
u Which of you," ssljs He, " shall have an ox or an ass," — 
a mere brute animal, "fallen into a pit, and will not 
straightway pull him out on the Sabbath day?" The 
argument was conclusive; they could not answer it; they 
did not attempt it. 

Having thus turned their position and forestalled the 
attack they had meditated, He carries the war into their 
own camp. Marking the petty ambition with which those 
who were bidden had struggled to secure the chief places, 
He proceeds to set forth not only the littleness but the 
folly of such ambition. " "When you are bidden to a 
feast," says He, a you at once arrogate to yourselves the 
highest seats. You thus expose yourselves to the extreme 
mortification of being compelled to take a lower place, in 
order to make room for some more distinguished guest 
of whose presence you were not aware. How much 
easier to take the lower place first. If you are really 
worthy of a better place, the fact will be noticed, and 
you will be requested to go up higher; you will thus be 
doubly esteemed and honored; 'for whosoever exalteth 






JESUS DIXES WITH THE PHAEISEE. 545 

himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself 
shall be exalted/ " 

And now comes the turn of the host himself. His pride 
and ostentation also deserve rebuke. a When thou makest 
a dinner or a supper/' says Jesus, — glancing perhaps at 
the guests whose appearance was indicative of affluence, — 
u call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy rich 
neighbors, lest they also bid thee again and a recompense 
be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the 
poor, the maimed, the lame and the blind ; and thou shalt 
be blessed ; for they can not recompense thee : for thou 
shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just." 
There spoke the love of Jesus, for the miserable of our 
race. And yet these words, so full of the truest dignity 
and humanity, met with no adequate response. One of 
those present, indeed, exclaimed with seeming devout- 
ness, — a Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom 
of God ; " it was only seeming devoutness ; for, as says Yan 
Oosterzee, " We find therein a somewhat unlucky attempt 
by an edifying turn to make an end of a discourse which 
contained nothing flattering to the host, and might per- 
haps soon pass over to yet sharper rebuke of the guests." * 

Our Lord, by no means diverted by this artifice from 
His purpose, retorts upon the speaker in the following 
parable: "A certain man made a great supper, and bade 
many ; and sent his servant at supper-time to say to them 
that were bidden, Come, for all things are now ready. 
And they all with one consent began to make excuse. 
The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, 
and I must needs go and see it ; I pray thee have me ex- 
cused. And another said, I have bought fiye yoke of 
oxen, and I go to prove them ; I pray thee have me ex- 
cused. And another said, I have married a wife ; and 

* See his " Commentary on Luke," in loco. 
35 



546 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

therefore I can not come. So that servant came and 
shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the 
house, being angry, said to his servant, Go out quickly 
into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither 
the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. 
And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast com- 
manded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto 
the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and 
compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 
For I say unto you that none of those men which were 
bidden shall taste of my supper." 

The force of the parable, as thus applied by our Lord, 
will be seen in the fact that it was tantamount to saying, 
" What does your praise of them who sit at the table in 
the kingdom of God amount to, when you are among 
those who, on the most frivolous pretenses, refuse to ac- 
cept the invitation thereto ? And what will all your seem- 
ing devoutness and enthusiasm in uttering their praises 
advantage you, when, for your refusal to accept the invi- 
tation, you yourself are doomed to be excluded from the 
feast, while those who are the objects of your contempt 
will be brought in and made to partake of its fulness." 

Passing from these incidents, the sacred narrative pre- 
sents Jesus to us as continuing His journey, attended by 
an immense concourse of people. The spectacle resem- 
bles those remarkable manifestations of the popular in- 
terest so common, during His ministry in Galilee. The 
truth was, the common people could not resist the in- 
fluence of His wondrous teachings and His mighty works. 
We can hardly doubt that, but for the persistent malice 
of their leaders, they would have continued to receive 
Him gladly. Fearful is the responsibility of those who, 
having power to lead the multitude, use it only to stir 
up their evil passions, and array them, in opposition to 
their better instincts, against the truth. 



JESUS DINES WITH THE PHARISEE. 547 

Conscious of the increasing perils of true discipleship, 
which must result from the growing hostility of His ene- 
mies, our Lord, on one occasion, turned to the multitude, 
and endeavored to impress upon them the importance of 
calm and resolute self-denial on the part of those who 
would embrace His cause. "Whoever," says He, "would 
be My disciple must, like him who would build a tower, 
or grapple with a powerful foe, count the cost beforehand, 
and gird himself to the work with invincible courage and 
resolution. He must leave no room for retreat. He 
must be prepared to make every sacrifice for the good 
of the cause. He must be ready to lay everything on the 
altar of his devotion ; personal comfort, domestic attach- 
ments, and, next dearest to those, his life. He who hath 
not such love for Me, and such devotion to My cause, is 
weak and worthless. He is like salt that hath lost its 
savor. What influence can he exert; what success can 
he attain ; with what grace even can he himself be sea- 
soned for his own salvation ? " 






CHAPTER VI. 

THE HEART OF GOD. 

MAN'S MISUNDERSTANDING OF THE DIVINE NATURE — JESUS CAME TO RE- 
VEAL THE FATHER'S HEART TOWARDS THE LOST — THE EFFECT OF 
THIS REVELATION ON DIFFERENT CLASSES OF MEN — ESPECIALLY ON 
PUBLICANS AND SINNERS — PARABLE OF THE LOST SHEEP — PARABLE 
OF THE LOST PIECE OF MONEY — PARABLE OF THE PRODIGAL SON — 
CONCLUDING REMARKS. 

Luke xv. 

Nothing was so little known, till Christ came in the 
flesh, as the heart of God. He had not left Himself with- 
out witness; the heavens declared His glory, and the 
firmament His handiwork; man's conscience and relig- 
ious nature testified to His justice; the law and the 
prophets revealed His holiness and goodness; but men 
knew not how He stood affected towards them as sinners. 
They had no conception of His love towards the unworthy 
and the lost ; but, on the contrary, they thought of Him 
only as an angry Judge, — an infinite Adversary who lay 
in wait to take them in their evil deeds, and launch at 
their guilty heads the bolts of His consuming wrath. In 
the time of Christ those who thought they knew Jeho- 
vah best, knew Him least. The self-righteous Pharisees 
thought that God was an infinite Pharisee, who main- 
tained His dignity by treating with coldness all persons 
of doubtful character. That He was a Father whose 
heart went forth in tender longing after His rebellious 
children, never entered their minds. They could not 



THE HEART OF GOD. 549 

conceive of a righteousness which did not mainly lie in 
a haughty abhorrence of all who were guilty of disrep- 
utable sins. The "sinners" of that time were but too 
ready to accept this Pharisaic view of the Divine Na- 
ture ; and they therefore lived in a state of sullen des- 
pair, expecting no favor from men, hoping for no mercy 
from God. This indeed is, in all ages, the sad fruit of a 
vicious life. 

Now Jesus came to dispel all the mists with which 
guilty and superstitious fear had veiled the face of the 
Father from the eyes of His wandering children. He 
came to reveal the Father's heart. The being, power, 
wisdom, and holiness of God had been revealed ; but not 
His unutterable tenderness. Jesus was the first to reveal 
the heart of God; He was Himself that revelation. In 
Him the sterner attributes that had been manifest, were 
hidden ; and the heart of the Father that had been hidden, 
was made manifest* The effect of this revelation on 
those who heard His words and witnessed His manner of 
life was very remarkable. The Pharisees could only be- 
lieve in a God who was like one of them, and they there- 
fore could not discern the divine in Jesus of Nazareth ; 
but publicans and sinners when they saw Him were struck 
with glad surprise; hope dawned upon their despairing 
minds ; they were drawn to the Lord by the magnetism 
of His pitying love ; they felt that He was a Teacher, a 
Master, a Saviour for them; they heard Him with wonder 
and joy, and many of them became His followers to the 
end. On one occasion, many of this description gathered 
around Him, less eager to witness His miracles than to 
hear His words. The scribes and Pharisees, seeing this 
concourse of disreputable persons, were scandalized; "this 
man," they said, "receiveth sinners and eateth with them." 

*See Pulsford's " Quiet Hours," " Jesus revealing the heart of God." 



550 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

Jesus, to rebuke His self-righteous censors, and to encour- 
age His penitents, uttered that wondrous series of para- 
bles which may well be entitled, the Heart of God. We 
give them here in full, one idea in three different forms ; — 
the eagerness with which we seek to regain a lost treasure 
or a lost child, used as a faint symbol of the yearning of 
our Heavenly Father over souls rescued from perdition : 

" What man of you having a hundred sheep, if he lose 
one of them doth not leave the ninety and nine in the 
wilderness, and go after that which is lost until he find 
it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his 
shoulders rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he 
calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice 
with me ; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I 
say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over 
one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and 
nine just persons which need no repentance." 

" What woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose 
one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, 
and seek diligently till she find it ? And when she hath 
found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbors to- 
gether, saying, Rejoice with me ; for I have found the 
piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, There 
is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one 
sinner that repenteth." 

This intimates that God values a lost soul, bearing His 
image and superscription, more than the most careful 
housewife prizes a lost coin, stamped with the likeness of 
some earthly prince. The diligent search of the latter 
for the lost piece of silver is but a feeble type of God's 
earnest seeking for lost souls. 

"A certain man had two sons; and the younger of 
them said unto his father, Father, give me the portion 
of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them 
his living. And not many days after, the younger son 



THE HEART OF GOD. 551 

gathered all together, and took his journey into a far 
country, and there wasted his substance with riotous liv- 
ing. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty 
famine in that land ; and he began to be in want. And 
he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, 
and he sent him into the fields to feed swine. And he 
would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the 
swine did eat ; and no man gave unto him. And when he 
came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my 
father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish 
with hunger ! I will arise and go to my father, and will 
say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and 
before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son ; 
make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose and 
came to his father. And when he was yet a great way oif, 
his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell 
on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, 
Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight, 
and am no more worthy to be called thy son; — but the 
father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and 
put it on him ; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on 
his feet ; and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it ; and 
let us eat and be merry ; for this my son was dead and is 
alive again ; he was lost, and is found. And they began 
to be merry. Now his elder son was in the field ; and as he 
came and drew near the house, he heard music and dan- 
cing. And he called one of the servants and asked what 
these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother 
is come, and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because 
he hath received him safe and sound. And he was an- 
gry, and would not go in ; therefore came his father out 
and entreated him. And he, answering, said to his father, 
Lo, these many. years do I serve thee, neither transgressed 
I at any time thy commandment; and yet thou never 
gavest me a kid that I might make merry with my 



552 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

friends ; but as soon as this thy son is come, who hath 
devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him 
the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever 
with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that 
we should make merry and be glad ; for this thy brother 
was dead and is alive again ; and was lost and is found." 

In this wonderful parable, paternal love, outliving filial 
ingratitude and treason the most vile, and going forth to 
meet its lost, not with reproaches, scarcely with forgive- 
ness, but with kisses and benedictions, is presented as the 
image of the yearning tenderness of God towards His re- 
bellious children. He longs for their return; He sees 
them afar off, when their hearts begin to turn towards 
Him ; He runs by His Spirit and His church to meet 
them; He gives them the kiss of peace, the immediate 
token of reconciliation ; He covers their naked souls with 
the best robe, even with " that linen clean and white which 
is the righteousness of saints;" He gives them the ring 
of gold with the family seal upon it ; that is to say, " the 
power to become the sons of God" — the privilege and 
witness of adoption ; He puts shoes upon their feet, that 
they may run with swiftness the race that is set before 
them ; He commands the fatted calf to be killed that their 
famished souls may be fed, and summons all the members 
of the celestial household to make merry, because the 
dead is alive and the lost is found. 

The case of the improvident son very naturally sug- 
gested other examples of folly and mismanagement. 
Hence, our Lord follows the parable of the prodigal son 
with that of the unjust steward. The two cases are 
much alike : the son had foolishly squandered his own 
substance; the steward had, through either unfaithfulness 
or actual dishonesty, wasted his lord's property. They 
are, however, in one point in striking contrast: the 
prodigal, when he sees the ruin he has wrought, makes 



THE HEART OF GOD. 553 

no effort to conceal or mend the matter ; sincere, frank 
penitent, courageous, he makes confession at once, and 
humbly awaits the result. The steward, on the contrary 
waits till he is actually taxed with his misconduct, and 
then, with cunning selfishness proceeds, not so much to 
mend one mischief by another, as to crown misconduct 
by a deliberate fraud. The following is our Lord's state- 
ment of the case : 

" There was a certain rich man which had a steward, 
and the same was accused unto him that he had w T asted 
his goods. And he called him, and said unto him, How is 
it that I hear this of thee ? give an account of thy stew- 
ardship ; for thou mayest be no longer steward. Then 
the steward said within himself, What shall I do ? for my 
lord taketh away from me my stewardship : I can not 
dig; to beg I am ashamed. I am resolved what to do, 
that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may re- 
ceive me into their houses. So he called every one of his 
lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much 
owest thou unto my lord ? And he said, An hundred 
measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and 
sit down quickly and write fifty. Then said he to another, 
And how much owest thou ? And he said, An hundred 
measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, 
and write fourscore. And the lord commended the unjust 
steward, because he had done wisely ; for the children of 
this world are wiser in their generation than the children 
of light." 

We must guard against involving Jesus Himself in this 
commendation. The wisdom of the unjust steward was 
mere worldly sagacity and shrewdness. True to his sel- 
fish instincts, he had the wit to wring from the vocation 
he was about to lose, the means of providing for the fu- 
ture. His was a clear eye and single aim, which his lord 
looked at in the light of worldly policy, and commended 



554 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

as such. Our Lord called the attention of His disciples, 
not to the morals of the unjust steward but to his con- 
sistent foresight and singleness of purpose • urging them 
to elevate the same wisdom into rectitude that he had 
debased into fraud, and so to deal with the treasures of 
this world as to wring from them not only present com- 
fort but permanent riches, a reception into " everlasting 
habitations." He showed the strict relation in God's ser- 
vice between fidelity in the lesser field and in the greater, 
and asked pointedly : " If ye have not been faithful in 
the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust 
the true riches ? " — adding, as a caution against half-ser- 
vice : " No servant can serve two masters ; ye can not 
serve God and mammon." 

The general drift of these parables was so unmistakable, 
that the Pharisees were unable to conceal their irritation. 
They, however, ventured upon nothing further than ridi- 
cule: "they derided Him." Our Lord replied to them 
with great plainness, giving them to understand that with 
all their seeming sanctity they were mere hypocrites, and 
as such, an abomination in the sight of God. He, then, 
with the evident design of rebuking their covetousness, 
luxury and unbelief, uttered the parable of the rich man 
and Lazarus ; 

" There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in 
purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day ; 
and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which 
was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed 
with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table ; 
moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. And it 
came to pass that the beggar died, and was carried by the 
angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died, and 
was buried ; and in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in 
torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his 
bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have 



THE HEART OF GOD. 555 

mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip 
of his finger in water and cool my tongue ; for I am tor- 
mented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember 
that thou in thy life-time receivedst thy good things, and 
likewise Lazarus evil things ; but now he is comforted, 
and thou art tormented. And, besides all this, between 
us and you there is a great gulf fixed ; so that they who 
would pass from hence to you can not ; neither can they 
pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, 
I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldst send him 
to my father's house ; for I have five brethren ; that he 
may testify unto them, lest they ajso come into this place 
of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses 
and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, 
Nay, father Abraham ; but if one went unto them from 
the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If 
they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they 
be persuaded, though one rose from the dead." 

Since no further mention is made of the Pharisees, the 
presumption is, that as the terrible significance of the 
parable flashed upon them, — as they saw depicted in it 
not only their invincible and malignant unbelief, but their 
coming doom, — they were filled with rage, and withdrew 
to plot revenge in secret. 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE RAISING OF LAZARUS. 

BETHANY — LAZARUS AND HIS ILLNESS — HIS SISTERS SEND TO JESUS — HE 
ARRIVES AT BETHANY AND IS MET BY MARTHA — MARTHA'S FAITH — 
SHE CALLS MARY — JESUS WEPT — HE RAISES LAZARUS — THE MIRACLE 
REPORTED TO THE PHARISEES — ALARM OF THE SANHEDRIM — PRO- 
PHETIC UTTERANCE OF CAIAPHAS — SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PREDICTION — 
JESUS RETIRES TO EPHRAIM — INSTRUCTS HIS DISCIPLES. 

Johx xi. 1-54. 

The scene of this narrative is laid in Bethany, about 
two miles east from Jerusalem, on the road to Jericho, a 
place yet in existence, and often visited by travelers. 
They pass out of the city, at the Damascus gate, on the 
north-east, cross over the brook Kedron, ascend the Mount 
of Olives obliquely, and winding round the summit to the 
south and then again to the east, they find the village 
tying in a shallow valley on the eastern slope of the 
mountain. It is now decayed and ruinous, but in the 
time of Christ it was doubtless populous and flourishing. 
Here dwelt the hospitable sisters, Martha and Mary, with 
their brother Lazarus, probably the Benjamin of the fam- 
ily. The place of these three in the hearts of Christen- 
dom is assured by the brief statement: "Jesus loved 
Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus." * 

While our Lord was prosecuting His ministry in Perea 
there was deep trouble in this beloved family. Lazarus 

-John xi. 5. 



THE RAISING OF LAZARUS. 557 

was taken suddenly and dangerously ill, probably with a 
malignant fever such as prevail in that climate. The 
disease was alarming, and the sisters were overwhelmed 
with dismay. Lazarus must have been singularly pure, 
affectionate and devout, one who was attached by holy 
sympathy to the noblest natures, and who attracted them 
in return. No wonder that Martha and Mary were in 
deep affliction. Yet there was one hope. Jesus, their 
adored Lord, their honored and faithful Friend, could heal 
their brother if He were but present. Nay, He could 
even heal him at a distance. So they dispatched a mes- 
senger to Bethabara, — which was distant only an easy 
day's journey, — with the simple message : " Lord, behold 
he whom Thou lovest is sick." This they knew would be 
enough. They did not request the Lord to come to Beth- 
any; they did not even ask Him to heal their brother; 
they merely apprised Him of their affliction, leaving all 
the rest to His well-tried love and wisdom. 

Jesus received the message, and sent back this answer 
to the afflicted family : " This sickness is not unto death, 
but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be 
glorified thereby." These words, though true in a sense 
known to Jesus Himself, were calculated to try the faith 
of the sisters ; for it is probable that when the messenger 
returned to Bethany, Lazarus was already dead. What 
must they then have thought of the assurance that the 
sickness was not unto death ? Yet, in the eyes of Him 
who saw the end from the beginning the sickness was not 
unto death, as they too, should acknowledge, when they 
should find that death was not its last issue, but only a 
transition to a restored and higher life ; — a higher life, for 
when Christ declares that sickness to be "for the glory of 
God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby," 
He certainly includes in this glory of God the perfecting 
for Lazarus of his own spiritual being, as we can not doubt 



558 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

that it was perfected through these wondrous events. 
This death was his passage into life, the decisive crisis of 
his spiritual development, and also a signal moment in 
the revelation of the glory of Christ unto the world. 
The Son of God was first glorified in Lazarus, and then 
through him to mankind.* 

For long, sad hours those affectionate sisters watch over 
their dying brother. Rapidly does his life ebb away, and 
ere their messenger returns the end has come. Tenderly 
they close his eyes, feeling that the light of home is for- 
ever quenched. The sound of wailing is heard in that 
house, late cheerful and. happy. The beloved remains 
are washed, and wTapped around with linen and spices, 
and ere the setting of the sun, they are borne, according 
to the Jewish custom, to the family sepulchre, followed 
by the two heart-broken mourners, who can hardly artic- 
ulate the customary "Alas! alas! my 'brother!''' The 
stone is laid upon the opening of the vault; and they 
return to their home, now a home no longer. There, sur- 
rounded by some sympathizing and some formal friends, 
they sit and ponder their loss. The thought uppermost 
in their minds finds utterance in words broken by sobs : 
" Oh that Jesus had been here ! then our brother would not 
have died ! alas, zohy was not the Master with us at such a 
time as this!" 

Leaving them in their sacred grief, let us now return 
to Bethabara. Jesus was not ignorant that he whom He 
loved was dead, but for two days after the messenger de- 
parted He continued in the same place. Then He said to 
His disciples, " Let us go into Judea again." They were 
struck with consternation. They remembered too well 
how narrowly He escaped falling a victim to His enemies 
at Jerusalem a few weeks before ; and would He now 

* See Trench on the RaisiD£ of Lazarus. 



THE RAISING OF LAZARUS. 550 

court death by again putting Himself in their power? 
They ventured to expostulate with Him: "Master, the 
Jews of late sought to stone Thee, and goest Thou thither 
again?" Jesus answered, somewhat obscurely to us, 
though it was doubtless plain to them: "Are there not 
twelve hours in the day ? If any man walk in the day, 
he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. 
But if a man walk in the night he stumbleth, because 
there is no light in him." The meaning seems to be, " a 
certain time is appointed Me of My Father; until that 
time is accomplished, My enemies have no power over 
Me. There is no real danger, My day is not yet expired, 
and I may therefore go to Judea with safety, and you 
also. Only let us walk in the light from heaven, and we 
have nothing to fear. When we walk in earthly darkness, 
then indeed there is imminent peril." 

Still, their apprehensions, which were partly selfish, 
w r ere not quieted; and He therefore said to them in 
words ever beautiful and memorable : " Our friend Laza- 
rus sleepeth, but I go that I may awake him out of sleep." 
They could only understand Him in the literal sense ; 
"Lord," said they, "if he sleep he shall do well." He 
has then passed the crisis of his disease and will speedily 
recover. But Jesus was speaking of another sleep, of 
the deep slumber of the grave. He then told the disci- 
ples plainly, "Lazarus is dead," and added, "for your 
sakes I am glad I was not there ; to the intent ye might 
believe. Nevertheless let us go unto him." " Had I been 
there, and restored him before life was extinct, your faith 
would have gained less than it will by what you are 
about to witness." The disciples are all silenced except 
Thomas, who, though brave and faithful and ready to 
follow his Master to the death, can only believe so far as 
he sees. He thinks that Jesus is going to His death. 
He does not, however, forsake Him, but soys to his fellow- 



560 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

disciples in a paroxysm of love and unbelief: " Let us also 
go, that we may die with Him." Bravely spoken, Thomas, 
from your stand-point. You, who accompany your Lord 
to Judea with a sad determination to die with Him, shall 
go without Him, by and by, — yet not without Him, alone, 
yet not alone, — to the ends of the earth, proclaiming Him 
as your risen Saviour, your Lord and your God. 

The journey is well-nigh accomplished. Bethany is at 
hand ; they have even now reached the outskirts of the 
town, and there they pause near the sepulchre of Laza- 
rus. Meanwhile some one carries the tidings to Martha, 
who, without informing her sister, as it would seem, im- 
mediately went and met the Lord. " Lord," said she, " if 
Thou hadst been here, my brother had not died." Then, 
a vague hope springing up in her heart, a hope which as 
speedily vanished, she added, "But I know that even 
now, whatsoever Thou wilt ask of God, God will give it 
Thee." Jesus saith unto her, " Thy brother shall rise 
again." U I know that he shall rise again," replied Mar- 
tha, u in the resurrection at the last day." She says this, 
not with cheerful hope, but with sadness. "Alas, must I 
wait till then f Must I make the journey of life without 
him, — without him who has been dearer to me than life 
itself?" This is the language of natural affection. How 
often does the mourner, when he stands at the grave of 
one he loves, feel that the assurance of a glorious resur- 
rection at the last day is cold comfort ! It seems long to 
wait. "We would have our loved ones with us now ; we 
would break through the separation-wall • we would con- 
strain their unbound spirits into bonds again ; like Or- 
pheus in search of his lost Eurydice, we would willingly 
descend into hades to bring them back. This seems to 
have been the feeling with which Martha confessed her 
faith in the resurrection. A moment ago, she did enter- 
tain a vague hope that Jesus would do something won- 



THE RAISING OF LAZARUS. 561 

derful for her relief; but now she thinks of her brother 
as lying in the "cold obstruction" of the grave till the 
last day, and all hope dies within her. 

But the very purpose of this affliction is to elevate her 
faith above all natural affection, above all accidents and 
circumstances, above reason itself. Our Lord proceeds, 
therefore, to unfold to her His glorious prerogatives as 
the Giver of life. She has just expressed her confidence 
in Him as an effectual intercessor, who obtains of God 
whatever He asks ; it is needful for her to learn, — and 
her sorrow has made her humble and susceptible, — that 
Jesus has life in Himself ; that there is fulness of power 
and divinity in His own person ; and now having thus 
prepared the way, He adds those memorable words, which 
every child in Christendom knows by heart, which every 
pious mourner has learned to love as the well-spring of 
heavenly comfort: "I am the resurrection and the 

LIFE; HE THAT BELIEVETH IN Me, THOUGH HE WERE 
DEAD YET SHALL HE LIVE ; AND WHOSOEVER LIVETH AND 

believeth in Me shall never die." These sublime 
words reveal to us that death, the power before whom 
all earthly potentates go down, is yet in conflict with 
One mightier than himself, with One whose assured 
triumph over the great destroyer is dwelt upon more at 
length in another part of this work. 

We return to Martha, now disciplined by sorrow to 
comprehend the sublime teachings of the Lord. When 
He had spoken these life-giving words, He asked her, 
|r " Believest thou this f " She said unto Him, " Yea, Lord ; 
I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God which 
should come into the world." In believing that He was 
the Christ, she believed in Him as the resurrection and 
the life, for even the Jews held that the Messiah would 
raise the dead. She did not, however, as yet understand 
the mighty miracle which was about to be wrought. She 



36 



i 



562 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

had now an implicit faith, but it was general; not a spe- 
cific faith that here and now Lazarus would be restored 
to life. 

At this point probably Jesus inquired for Mary; so 
Martha returned home and called her sister secretly, say- 
ing to her, " The Master is come, and calleth for thee." 
We do not wonder that Mary arose quickly and came to 
Christ with affectionate haste. It is natural, too, that the 
friends who were with her should think that she had gone 
tc the grave to weep there, for in the first days of mourn- 
ing among the Jews, the nearest relatives often visited 
the grave of the deceased. The Jews therefore followed 
Mary, as she went weeping to the place where Jesus was, 
and they wept with her. How like her to fall down at 
His feet, — which Martha had not done, — as she exclaimed, 
" Lord, if thou hadst been here my brother had not died." 
These were the very words of Martha, proving how those 
sisters had longed for the presence of their adored Friend 
in their time of trouble. There was no conversation 
between Jesus and Mary, for He knew that her faith was 
already equal to the emergency. But when Jesus saw 
her weeping, and the Jews also, He groaned in spirit and 
was troubled. "Where have ye laid him?" He asked. 
They conducted Him to the grave, which was a cave, or 
vault, closed with a stone at its mouth. 

"Jesus wept." 

Some honest and pious minds have found a difficulty 
in the fact that Jesus wept and groaned in spirit, when 
He knew how soon Lazarus would be restored. Such 
persons have not deeply pondered the fact that Jesus, 
though the Son of God from eternity, was true man, 
having all human sensibilities and a full and lively sym- 
pathy with His brethren. He stood in the presence of 
death. One of His dearest friends lay in that gloomy 
vault. He loved Lazarus somewhat as He loved John. 



THE RAISING OF LAZARUS. 563 

They were familiar, confidential friends. After a painful 
sickness he had died ; not in appearance, but in reality ; 
he was even now in the dread world of spirits. That he 
was soon to be summoned back to life did not make his 
death the less real. The Jews who stood by drew the 
right inference from His sorrow: "Behold how He loved 
him ! " And then as a Friend Jesus felt the deep anguish 
of Martha and Mary as His own. We must even go fur- 
ther, and conceive of Him at this moment as having in 
view the ravages of sin in this world through all ages. 
He was united in nature and sympathy to a dying race. 
He knew how many were at that moment passing through 
the dark valley; He knew how many generations had 
already been swept away by the destroyer. He came 
into the world to bear the griefs of all mankind, and we 
can not doubt that, while standing at the grave of Laza- 
rus, He did bear them. Those were the tears of a tender 
and compassionate elder Brother, and He sustained this 
relation not only to the mourning family at Bethany but 
to all mankind. He was then and there weeping over 
all the dead and in sympathy with all the bereaved. But 
no such reflections appear to have occurred to the Jews 
who witnessed the sorrow of Jesus ; for, somewhat ma- 
liciously, they said one to another, " Could not this man, 
who opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even 
this man, Lazarus, should not have died ?" If the healing 
of the man born blind was a real miracle, He must have 
had power to heal Lazarus ; He loved him so much, He 
would have done it had He been able. They began to 
question whether there was not some mistake or illusion 
in the case of the blind man. But their doubts were to 
be soon dispelled. 

Jesus now directed them to take away the stone from 
the door of the sepulchre. Martha reminded Him of the 
probable condition of the body • not that we believe that 



564 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

putrefaction had really taken place ; on the contrary, it 
is most reasonable to infer that the body had been miracu- 
lously preserved, for otherwise the miracle would have had 
something of a monstrous character. Martha's language 
conveyed a natural impression, not in that case a statement 
of the fact. Nevertheless her suggestion shows how little 
she as yet looked for the great deliverance which Christ 
was about to work out for her. He more distinctly inti- 
mated his purpose : " Said I not unto thee that if thou 
wouldst believe thou shouldst see the salvation of God?" 
When the stone was removed, Jesus lifted up His eyes, 
and said, "Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast heard 
Me. And I knew that Thou hearest Me always • but be- 
cause of the people that stand by I said it, that they may 
believe that Thou hast sent Me." We may imagine the 
bystanders looking into the open tomb with awe and sol- 
emn expectation. Nor did they wait long, for when He had 
thus spoken, Jesus cried with a loud voice, — with the very 
voice which will raise the dead at the- last day, — " Laza- 
rus, come forth." That " voice pierces the dull ear of the 
dead ; the spirit returns to the mouldering frame ; the 
life-blood courses through the shrivelled veins ; the limbs 
heave and stir; and the late occupant of the sepulchre 
appears at its mouth, with his burial garments about him, 
his pale lips opening with thanksgivings, and his glazed 
eye kindling with light, as he raises it in adoring homage 
to the face of his Deliverer. Loving hands unwind his 
grave-clothes. Loving arms fold him in a warm embrace. 
Loving hearts welcome him back to earth."* 

There is something mysterious, and almost tantalizing 
in the reserve of the inspired writers touching many 
things which we would give much to know. John was an 
eye-witness of this stupendous miracle ; he saw Lazarus 



Ide's " Bible Pictures," page 257. A book of great power and beauty. 



I 



THE RAISING OF LAZARUS. 565 

come forth from the sepulchre ; he doubtless accompanied 
him and his sisters to their home ; he must have had many 
conversations with him afterwards ; he could have given 
a full account of his subsequent life ; but he has not left 
us even one short sentence to satisfy our curiosity; he 
has left us so much, and only so much, as was necessary 
to show forth the love and power and glory of his adora- 
ble Master. Lazarus himself seems to have been silent 
in respect to that dread world of spirits, the secrets of 
which he had known by experience. Perhaps he found 
those secrets unutterable in mortal speech; perhaps his 
lips were sealed by an express prohibition. It was not 
the purpose of the evangelists to divert the attention of 
their readers from Jesus, the Eesurrection and the Life. 
Lazarus, after all, is nothing : Christ is all in all. 

The raising of Lazarus was undoubtedly our Lord's 
most illustrious miracle. It created a profound sensation 
not only among the eye-witnesses, but also in Jerusalem, 
and throughout the whole country. Many of those who 
saw it, having prepared and susceptible minds, believed ; 
but others, though they could not deny the reality and 
the greatness of the miracle, persisted in rejecting Christ, 
Actuated by no friendly feelings, they hastened to the 
Pharisees in Jerusalem and gave them an account of what 
they had seen. The Sanhedrim was immediately con- 
vened to deliberate upon the matter. The healing of a 
man born blind, and the raising of a dead man to life, 
were miracles so stupendous and so public that there was 
every reason to apprehend that Jesus would be speedily 
acknowledged by the whole nation as the Messiah. So, 
when the council was assembled, they said one to another : 
" What do we ? for this Man doeth many miracles. If we 
let Him thus alone all men will believe on Him, and the 
Romans will come and take away both our place and 
nation." It has been thought that this was not spoken 



566 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

sincerely, but was intended to alarm the more moderate 
members of the council, some of whom were suspected of 
looking too favorably on the mission of Jesus; but it 
would seem more probable that they were really in great 
alarm. 

From their stand-point, there was evident ground for 
alarm. Their views of the Messiah were altogether 
worldly. They conceived of Him as a temporal deliv- 
erer and king, who would emancipate the nation from 
the Roman yoke. And this was the expectation and ear- 
nest wish of the nation. The people now had their eyes 
fixed upon Jesus, and were ready, whenever He would 
put Himself at their head, to take up arms against their 
foreign oppressors. They had already sought, on one 
occasion, to take Him by force and make Him their King. 
Now, while the priests and Pharisees were not averse to 
a revolution which should expel the hated Eomans, and 
were, perhaps, at this very moment looking forward to a 
war for Jewish independence, any immediate attempt, 
especially under the leadership of Jesus the Nazarene, 
seemed to promise nothing but disaster to their own 
order and to the country. Had Jesus been one of them- 
selves, they would have fanatically rushed into the con- 
test; but they dreaded His reign more than the despot- 
ism of the Romans. The latter left their institutions 
untouched ; but they well knew that they could expect 
no favor from such a prince as Jesus, who had already 
assailed the corruptions, denounced the hypocrisy, and 
greatly diminished the influence of the scribes and Phar- 
isees. Let Him be once raised to the throne of David, 
and they knew their occupation would be gone. Besides, 
notwithstanding they could not deny His miracles, they 
did not believe He was the Messiah; they held Him, at 
best, a half-crazed enthusiast. If He should be proclaimed 
King, the legions would be upon them, and, making no 



THE KAISING OF LAZAEUS. 567 

distinction between the innocent and guilty, would not 
only destroy their holy city and temple, but whatever 
remained of their nationality. It must be confessed that 
Jewish politicians in that age could not well have rea- 
soned otherwise, for like professed politicians of all ages, 
they were blind to the real designs of Providence. 

But while certain members of the Sanhedrim who were 
moderate and conciliatory in temper, proposed half-meas- 
ures, there was one bold, bad man among them who had 
neither fear, nor conscience himself, and despised them in 
others; this was Caiaphas the High Priest, a Sadducee, 
subtile and cruel. He arose with a sneer, if we may 
judge from his contemptuous language, and addressing 
himself to his more scrupulous colleagues, — among whom, 
we must not forget, were Nicodemus and Joseph of Ari- 
mathea, — said, " Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that 
it is expedient for us that one man should die for the 
people and that the whole nation perish not." He spoke 
as a politician : — " The nation is in danger. If this Naza- 
rene goes on making disciples, He will soon be proclaimed 
King by the unthinking multitude ; and then our nation- 
ality will be extinguished in blood. This must somehow 
be prevented. I laugh at the cowardly suggestions of 
my well-meaning colleagues. True, Jesus has not been 
tried ; but, whether innocent or guilty, it is better that 
one should die for all, than that the whole nation should 
perish." Thus, under the pretext of the public good, — 
always the plea of unprincipled statesmen, — Jesus was 
doomed to death by the highest functionary of the Jewish 
church. 

So far everything is plain; but the evangelist has ap- 
pended a comment to these words of Caiaphas which has 
perplexed many readers : — " This spake he not of himself; 
but being High Priest that same year, he prophesied that 
Jesus should die for that nation ; and not for that nation 



568 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

only, but that also he should gather together in one the 
children of God that were scattered abroad." There is 
no doubt that the evangelist is to be understood literally ; 
he means to say that Caiaphas really prophesied, and that 
he prophesied because he was High Priest that year. 
Now, that a wicked man may be endowed with foresight 
of future events, and that, under a temporary divine af- 
flatus, he may predict them, seems clear enough. Balaam 
is an instance in point. In the words of Olshausen : " If 
we keep in mind the consideration that John did not 
mean to represent every High Priest as necessarily proph- 
esying, but to show that the High Priest was the natural 
medium, through whom God might at times reveal Him- 
self, this view harmonizes with the circle of ideas enter- 
tained by the evangelist, as well as with Scripture." 

Caiaphas, then, is to be regarded as unconsciously pre- 
dicting the death of Christ. St. John adds by way of 
comment : u That he should die not for that nation only, 
but that He should gather together the children of God 
that were scattered abroad." <f The death of Christ was 
to unite Jew and Gentile in one body, breaking down the 
middle wall of partition between them, and abolishing 
in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments 
contained in ordinances, and so of twain making in Him- 
self one new man, so making peace." In other words, the 
cross was to be the great centre of attraction, which 
should draw into a holy and blessed harmony the rent 
and dislocated members of the human family. Such, 
then, was the prophetic counsel of Caiaphas, which he 
uttered all unconscious of its divine meaning, and which 
his colleagues understood only in the more obvious sense. 
This counsel was adopted; and the intentions of indi- 
vidual enemies of Christ were thus formally sanctioned 
by the Sanhedrim. Henceforth they watched for a favor- 
able opportunity of executing their bloody purpose. Jesus 



THE RAISING OF LAZARUS. 569 

was not ignorant of their machinations ; had He not been 
omniscient, we can not doubt that Nicodemus or Joseph 
of Arimathea would have informed Him of His danger. 
He withdrew from the neighborhood to a city called 
Ephraini, which was in the desert a few miles north-east 
of Jerusalem, and there He dwelt with His disciples in 
deep seclusion, till His time was come. That time was 
at hand. Only a few weeks were to elapse before He 
should go up to Jerusalem, and " the baptism of blood " 
should be accomplished. 

We may feel entirely certain that those few weeks 
were mainly employed in training and instructing His 
disciples, whose views were even yet exceedingly defect- 
ive and vacillating. For more than three years the 
Master had been with them; but they were yet mere 
children in knowledge, and would indeed continue to be 
so till the Comforter should come and guide them into 
all truth. One office of the Comforter was to bring to 
their remembrance all that their Master had said. Many 
of His discourses which were obscure to them at the time, 
and soon faded from their memory, were restored and made 
clear under the supernatural illumination of the Holy 
Spirit. Jesus, therefore, continued to deposit in their 
minds treasures of heavenly wisdom, the value of which 
they then but dimly understood. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE LAST JOUKNEY: THE TEN LEPERS. 

JESUS DEPARTS FROM EPHRAIM FOR JERUSALEM — HEALS THE TEN LEP- 
ERS — THE PHARISEES DEMAND WHEN THE KINGDOM OF GOD SHOULD 
COME — OUR LORD'S DISCOURSE TO HIS DISCIPLES — PARABLE OF THE 

UNJUST JUDGE. 

Luke xvn. 11-37 ; xvra. 1-8. 

Although the Passover was now at hand, and multi- 
tudes of the people were already going up to Jerusalem 
to purify themselves in preparation for the feast, Jesus 
and His disciples still remained in Ephraim. This delay 
was the occasion of much speculation at Jerusalem ; the 
chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that His ar- 
rival should be promptly announced to them, that they 
might seize upon Him before He had time to enlist the 
multitude in His favor. Our Lord at length set out on 
this His last memorable journey to Jerusalem, directing 
His course by the border of Galilee and Samaria towards 
the Jordan. He would seem to have chosen this route, 
in order to fall in with the multitude of pilgrims, one 
body of whom would naturally come down by the road 
along the western bank, and another by the eastern, 
crossing at the fords near Jericho. His object in thus 
throwing Himself in the track of these multitudes, ap- 
pears to have been to reach the largest number with His 
teaching, and as the time for concealment was now past, 
to enter Jerusalem with the greater publicity. 

Coming in His route to a certain village, He was met 
by ten lepers, who it would seem, from His progress 



THE LAST JOURNEY: THE TEN LEPERS. 571 

being widely known, had collected in a body for that 
purpose, — a melancholy group of earth's most miserable 
creatures, despairing for years, yet now agitated by a 
hope of release from their sufferings. They appear to 
have had faith, yet rather, — as their address would indi- 
cate, — a faith in Jesus as a mere prophet. Sensible of 
their own loathsomeness, and perhaps not wishing to com- 
municate to Him a ceremonial uncleanness, they did not 
venture to approach Him, as others of their class who 
better knew His compassionate nature had done, but 
stood afar off and lifted up their voices with that most 
pitiful cry, u Jesus, Master, have mercy on us ! " Their 
appeal met with a prompt response, though not improb- 
ably a different one from that expected. It was, however, 
like that of Elisha to Naaman, calculated to test their 
faith thoroughly. " Go, show yourselves to the priests," 
was the simple and almost curt reply. The order was 
promptly obeyed. The sufferers at once went on their 
way, whether perplexed with doubt or full of joyful hope, 
we have no means of knowing. However, they had 
faith enough to obey, and divine love met them in the 
way with a sudden and perfect cure. 

And here comes in a striking exemplification of the 
difference between formal obedience and genuine love. 
Nine of the number, — Jews, we may infer from their 
regard for the ceremonial law, — go straight forward in 
formal accordance with the command of Jesus, rejoiced 
no doubt at the cure wrought in them, but with no thank- 
ful recognition of the Saviour as its author. One, how- 
ever, — to the rescue of our human nature from the shame 
of utter ingratitude, — one, a poor Samaritan outcast, over- 
come with joy and thankfulness and love, forgets every- 
thing but his benefactor. Turning back he glorified God 
with a loud voice, and falling down at the feet of Jesus, 
poured out the fulness of his heart in thankful adoration. 



572 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

And now he was doubly blessed. Faith and obedience 
brought soundness into his diseased body; gratitude 
and love bring health and peace into his soul; for the 
gracious words, — " Arise, go thy way, thy faith hath made 
thee whole," — as spoken by Jesus, carried with them be- 
yond all doubt the assurance of sins forgiven. 

As our Lord was thus proceeding on His way to Jeru- 
salem, some of the Pharisees asked Him when the king- 
dom of God was to come. The question was doubtless 
propounded in a spirit of ridicule. Jesus had said much 
of the coming of this kingdom ; yet, so far as they could 
see, no such coming appeared imminent, or even proba- 
ble. "At this rate of progress, when is this wonderful 
kingdom, to the headship of which you make such extra- 
ordinary pretensions, likely to be established?" Fathom- 
ing their evil design, Jesus answered them with almost 
contemptuous brevity. "It is simply absurd," said He, 
"to expect to determine the approach of this event by 
external signs, since it is to come so suddenly as to put to 
naught all worldly-wise calculation ; and it would be mere 
folly to reveal to you those signs, if there were any, — so 
long as you are blind to the morning that has already 
dawned." 

Turning from the Pharisees as unworthy of further no- 
tice, our Lord proceeds to address His disciples on the topic 
thus suggested. He shows them that, although the king- 
dom of God is even now among them, they will, under the 
pressure of manifold tribulations, long for its speedy tri- 
umph, and a blessed end of all their sorrows. He cau- 
tions them, however, against placing any confidence in 
the supposed signs of His coming, which will be blown 
abroad among the credulous to their destruction. They 
need give themselves no concern as to signs ; when the 
day of the Lord comes, it will come too suddenly for cal- 
culations to avail; its presence will be unmistakable as 






THE LAST JOURNEY: THE TEN LEPERS. 573 

that of the lightning, which, shooting across the heavens, 
lights the whole landscape with its revealing blaze. He 
gives them a new warning, that, while they are secretly 
dreaming of preferment in His kingdom, He, their Lord, 
is going speedily down into the depths of ignominious suf- 
fering, since only out of His perfect humiliation comes 
His complete exaltation. 

He portrays in language of terrible vividness the woes 
about to fall upon Jerusalem, woes typical of the final 
doom of the ungodly, as were the overwhelming waters 
of the flood in the days of Noah, or the flames from which 
Lot escaped when the cities of the plain went down. Ap- 
parently on this occasion, and probably with the design 
of impressing upon His disciples the importance of prayer 
as a preparation for impending trials, and support under 
them, Jesus utters the parable of the Unjust Judge and 
the Importunate "Widow. The simple argument of this 
is, that if persevering prayer secured an answer from an 
unjust human magistrate, by just so much the more as 
God is more wise, just and merciful than man, will per- 
sistent prayer prevail with Him, and that therefore men 
ought always to pray and not to faint. 

"There was in a city a judge which feared not God 
neither regarded man. And there was a widow in that 
city; and she came to him, saying, Avenge me of mine 
adversary. And he would not for a while ; but afterward 
he said within himself, though I fear not God nor regard 
man, yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge 
her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And 
the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And 
shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and 
night unto Him, though He bear long with them. I tell 
you, He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when 
the Son of Man cometh. shall He find faith on the earth ?" 



CHAPTER IX. 
THE LAST JOURNEY: PHARISEE AND PUBLICAN. 

THE PARABLE OF THE PHARISEE AND THE PUBLICAN" — THE TWO MEN 
CHARACTERIZED — THE PHARISEE'S PRAYER — THE PRAYER OP THE 
PUBLICAN — JESUS GIVES A DECISION ON THE LAW OF DIVORCE — HIS 

VIEW OF CELIBACY THE APOSTOLIC DOCTRINE OF MARRIAGE — CHRIST 

BLESSING LITTLE CHILDREN — THE YOUNG RULER — DISCOURSE ON THE 
DANGER OF RICHES — PARABLE OF THE LABORERS IN THE VINEYARD. 

Matthew xix. 3-30. Mark x. 13-31. Lxjke xviii. 15-30. 

Human nature is the same in all ages. We are not, 
therefore, surprised to read that our Lord encountered 
certain persons who trusted in themselves that they 
were righteous and despised others. Self-righteousness 
and contempt of others were not peculiar to the ancient 
Pharisees ; but the following parable was drawn forth by 
some particular manifestation of these — their character- 
istic vices : 

" Two men went up into the temple to pray ; the one a 
Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood 
and prayed thus with himself: God, I thank Thee that I 
am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, 
or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week ; I give 
tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing 
afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, 
but smote upon his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me 
a sinner ? I tell you, this man went down to his house 
justified rather than the other; for every one that exalt- 



THE LAST JOURNEY: PHARISEE AND PUBLICAN. 575 

eth himself shall be abased ; and he that humbleth him- 
self shall be exalted." 

This parable is not only wonderfully graphic but loaded 
with divine meaning. We see the Pharisee, in his long 
robes and broad phylacteries, passing through the streets 
of the Holy City, up to the temple. Every look, every 
gesture, proclaims loudly, "I am righteous; I am a pe- 
culiar favorite of heaven ; I do not belong to the herd of 
vulgar sinners ; stand aside, ye common and unclean, and 
let me pass on to my devotions." And the multitude 
reverently stand aside, while the Pharisee enters the sa- 
cred courts, feeling that his presence imparts additional 
sanctity to the place. But who is this that follows with 
downcast eyes and creeping steps, as if the very pave- 
ment was polluted by his tread? He is dressed in the 
garb of a civil officer, but there is neither self-respect nor 
authority in his bearing, and the people eye him askance 
with scarcely suppressed execrations. This man is a pub- 
lican, a Jew, yet a Koman tax-gatherer. He also passes 
into the temple. 

Let us also enter, and witness the devotions of these 
so different worshipers. Lo, yonder is our Pharisee, stand- 
ing apart from the multitude, as if afraid of contamina- 
tion. He begins : " God, I thank Thee," — surely a good 
beginning. What more appropriate than thanksgiving to 
the Father of lights, from whom cometh down every good 
and perfect gift ? " God, I thank Thee that I am not as 
other men are;" this also sounds well; for he seems 
to acknowledge that he differs from other men by the 
grace of God ; and what could be more humble and or- 
thodox ? There is, however, something in it which we do 
not quite like ; he seems to put himself in one category, 
and his fellow-men in another ; he has no sympathy with 
his brethren in their sins and sorrows ; he separates him- 
self from them even in the great congregation. But 



576 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

wherein, Pharisee, dost thou differ from other men? 
a God, I thank thee that I am not as other men, extor- 
tioners, unjust, adulterers." Hast thou then come up to 
the temple to confess the sins of other men ? Dost thou 
stand here as an accuser of thy unhappy brethren ? Dost 
thou regard it as meritorious that thou art not guilty of 
crimes worthy of stripes and imprisonment ? But see ; as 
he utters the words, " extortioners, unjust, adulterers," his 
eyes, in this strange way of praying, fall on a shrinking 
form in the distance, and his brow lowers, and his lip curls : 
" I thank Thee that I am not as this publican." Out upon 
thee, thou hypocrite ! Hast thou no pity ? Seest thou 
not that his heart is breaking with some great sor- 
row? Thou scornful Pharisee, thou hast told us what 
thou art not ; now tell us what thou art ; give us an in- 
ventory of thy virtues and good deeds : " I fast twice in 
the week ; I give tithes of all I possess." Yes, we know ; 
but where are judgment, mercy and faith ? where is love 
to God and man ? where is the broken and contrite heart 
that trembleth at God's word? where is the humble 
walking before God ? The Pharisee's prayer is ended ; 
and a strange prayer it is. There is not one word of con- 
fession ; not a petition of any kind. It is a crystallized 
specimen of pure, self-righteous egotism. 

Let us turn to the publican. He also has come up to 
the temple to pray. It is unwonted business for him, but 
he must pray or his heart will break. He has only one 
thing to ask of God, and he asks in the most direct and 
simple words: "God be merciful to me a singer!" 
He is alone in spirit before God, as conscious of his self- 
hood as the Pharisee, but in his case the ego is felt to 
be polluted and guilty : u have mercy on me the sinner ! " 
As if he were the one sinner in the universe, separated 
from all other men by his infinite guilt. His prayer is 
for mercy. He has no thought of any righteousness of 



THE LAST JOUKNEY : PHARISEE AND PUBLICAN". 577 

his own, or of earning justification by good works, or of 
making satisfaction to the law by voluntary suffering. 
The very phrase, " be merciful," carries with it a reference 
to atonement by sacrifice. He looks for forgiveness 
through the mere compassion of God, and to that he 
makes his appeal. There he stands, beating his breast, 
and not daring to lift his eyes to heaven. Suddenly, me- 
thinks a change comes over his countenance ; the expres- 
sion of anguish disappears f and as he leaves the place 
his step is lighter and his form more erect. Two words, 
love and peace, are plainly written on his lately clouded 
and tearful face. As he walks out into the streets, the 
sky bends lovingly over him, and a Father's eyes look 
down tenderly upon him; for "he went down to his house 
justified." Joy to that house ! The Pharisee also goes 
down to his own house ; but the heavens above are brass, 
and the justice to which he has appealed gathers in a 
thick cloud over his head. 

It must have been about this time that the Pharisees 
came to Jesus with a question much debated among them- 
selves, "Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for 
every cause ? " It is not quite clear whether their "tempt- 
ing " Him was merely to test his knowledge of the law, 
or to draw from Him what would expose Him to the 
wrath of Herod Antipas and his infamous paramour, 
Herodias, whose hands were still reeking with the blood 
of John the Baptist. Possibly both motives may have 
prompted the question. A strict doctrine of divorce had 
been taught by the famous Kabbi Shammai, who asserted 
that the dissolution of the marriage tie was unlawful ex- 
cept for the single cause of adultery. Kabbi Hillel and 
his school, on the contrary, held that arbitrary divorce 
was allowed by the law of Moses* Jesus did not hesi- 



* Deuteronomy xxiv. 1. 
37 



578 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

tate to give an authoritative decision of this great ques- 
tion, a question, in that age, of immense practical impor- 
tance. The abuse of divorce had almost dissolved the 
very frame-work of Koman society ; and it was working 
great evil even among the Jews, a comparatively chaste 
and moral people. It was important that the true doc- 
trine and law of marriage should be given to the church 
by the Master Himself; for it belongs to the very foun- 
dation of social virtue. In this case, therefore, our Lord 
exercised His function as Legislator, and enunciated a law 
which will be binding on nations and individuals to the 
end of time : 

" And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses 
command you ? And they said, Moses suffered to write a 
bill of divorcement and to put her away. And Jesus an- 
swered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart, 
he wrote you this precept; but from the beginning of the 
creation, God made them male and female. For this 
cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave 
unto his wife, and they twain shall be one flesh ; so then 
they are no more twain but one flesh. What, therefore, 
God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. And 
I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except 
it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth 
adultery ; and whosoever marrieth her that is put away, 
committeth adultery." 

These words of our Lord forbid divorce by the husband 
or the civil magistrate, except for a single cause. Nei- 
ther Milton nor any later writer has made good the ar- 
gument for more. Jesus found the law of marriage in 
the history of the original pair. God made man male 
and female, not two but one — "one flesh," — one living 
whole. The union of husband and wife was to be one 
of life and soul ; and to be indissoluble, till the flesh itself 
is dissolved. Nothing which does not, of itself, destroy 



THE LAST JOURNEY I PHARISEE AND PUBLICAN. 579 

this unity in duality — and nothing but adultery does de- 
stroy it — can justify the separation of those whom God 
hath joined together. This doctrine seemed hard to the 
disciples : " If the case of a man be so with his wife, it is 
not good to marry." In reply, our Lord does not deny 
the lawfulness of celibacy, provided it be "for the king- 
dom of heaven's sake" " His decision was opposed not 
only to the old Hebrew notion that celibacy was per se 
ignominious, but also to the ascetic doctrine which made 
it per se a superior condition of life; a doctrine so widely 
diffused in later times. He taught that the heart must 
be devoted to the interests of the kingdom of God, and 
these must modify all the relations of life, as necessity 
may require." # 

The words of the apostle are the necessary complement 
of those of our Master : " Wives, submit yourselves to 
your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband 
is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the 
church ; and He is the Saviour of the body. Therefore 
as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be 
to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love 
your wives, even as Christ loved the church, and gave 
Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with 
the washing of water by the word, that He might present 
it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, 
or any such thing ; but that it should be holy and without 
blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own 
bodies. He that loveth his wife, loveth himself. For no 
man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cher- 
isheth it, even as the Lord the church. For we are mem- 
bers of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. For 
this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and 
be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 

*Neander's " Life of Christ," pages 330, 321. 



580 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ 
and the church." * 

It is clearly the teaching of the apostle, that the union 
of husband and wife is one, not only of physical life, 
but of soul and spirit, a union so sacred that it requires 
a reciprocal love like that between Christ and His church ; 
a union, therefore, which can only be dissolved by the 
sin of conjugal infidelity, a sin equivalent to the apostasy 
of the church from her Head. 

It is not improbable that our Lord's discourse on mar- 
riage led to some conversation on children, and especially 
on their relation to the kingdom of God. This may have 
been the occasion of the beautiful incident which three 
of the evangelists have so carefully recorded in connec- 
tion with that discourse. When it is said that little 
children were brought to Him, it is impossible to doubt 
that they were brought by their parents. The popular 
pictures doubtless rightly make the mothers most conspic- 
uous in this scene. Women and children were powerfully 
drawn to Jesus. They felt that He was in sympathy 
with them, that He understood them, that it was good for 
them to be near Him, that the very glance of His eye, 
the very touch of His finger, brought to them benediction 
and joy. 

These mothers brought their "little children," (Mat- 
thew), their "young children," (Mark), their "infants," 
(Luke,) to the Saviour, that He should touch them, and 
pray. The apostles, annoyed and displeased at what 
probably struck them as foolish superstition, and wishing 
to save their Master from needless trouble, rebuked the 
persons who thus interrupted His discourse ; but Jesus, 
touched by every demonstration of love and faith, was 
in His turn much displeased, and rebuked the apostles 

*Ephesians v. 22-32. 



THE LAST JOURNEY: THE YOUNG RULER. 581 

for their unauthorized interference : " Suffer little children 
to come unto Me, and forbid them not, for of such is the 
kingdom of God. Verily, I say unto you, Whosoever 
shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, He 
shall in no wise enter therein. Having said this, He took 
them up in His arms, put His hands upon them and 
blessed them." We can not doubt that these children 
were the better, then and through life, for this blessing 
of Christ. Though they were mere infants, incapable of 
understanding His words, or of believing in Him as the 
Son of God, they were capable of receiving real benefit 
from the laying on of His hands and from His prayers. 
And the benefit thus imparted was not of a physical char- 
acter. There is no intimation that they were diseased 
and were brought to Him to be healed ; but the rebuke 
addressed to the parents by the disciples, implies the con- 
trary. The benefit sought and received by them was 
purely spiritual, — the blessing of grace. It is evident, 
therefore, that little children may be the real though un- 
conscious recipients of saving grace, and may, therefore, 
belong to the kingdom of God. Our" Lord not only de- 
clares it, but also asserts as a universal principle, that none 
hut children can enter that kingdom. Those who have 
come to mature age without becoming subjects of His 
kingdom, must again become children, even babes, by being 
born again ; so that of children the kingdom is composed. 
Thus Jesus sets forth the great truth that the children of 
the covenant, children that are brought to Him by be- 
lieving parents, are to be regarded as in the state and 
grace of regeneration, and therefore as already entitled 
to the privileges of the kingdom of God. It is not a vain 
thing for parents to present their children in faith to 
Christ, especially in holy baptism; and assuredly His 
life-giving touch and gracious benediction will not be 
withheld. 



582 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

After Jesus had left the house and gone forth into the 
highway, a certain man who was a ruler — possibly of the 
Sanhedrim, more likely of the synagogue, — " came run- 
ning, and kneeled to Him, and asked Him, saying : Good 
Master, what shall I do, that I may inherit eternal life ? " 
This man certainly was not a Pharisee ; his appearance 
was attractive ; his approach to Jesus indicated reverence 
and earnestness, and his question was the most important 
which he could have asked. Considering his wealth and 
his high social standing, his desire to lay hold on eternal 
life, thus publicly expressed, was evidence of a degree of 
moral elevation unusual in his class. It is not certain 
that he regarded Jesus as more than a great and wise 
Teacher; but his kneeling favors the opinion that he 
reverenced Him as a Prophet. Our Lord, wishing to lead 
him to a knowledge of his own character in the sight of 
God, said to him, " Why callest thou Me good ? There is 
none good but One, that is, God." God alone is absolutely 
good : whether I am good in that sense I say not ; but 
what art thou in the sight of this good God ? Thou know- 
est His commandments. The young man asked to which 
of the commandments Jesus especially referred. u Thou 
shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt 
not kill, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honor thy 
father and thy mother, and thou shalt love thy neighbor 
as thyself." The young man, ignorant of his own heart, 
and thinking only of external obedience, answered with 
sincerity, " All these things have I kept from my youth 
up." He was steeped in self-righteousness, though he 
knew it not. He was so frank, so truthful though so mis- 
taken, and he had such noble impulses notwithstanding 
his spiritual blindness, that Jesus loved him. He was 
drawn to him by his natural qualities, as He had been to 
Lazarus and John ; and had he not lacked one thing he 
would probably have been one of a glorious trio, the three 



THE LAST JOURNEY: THE YOUNG RULER. 583 

friends of Jesus. "One thing/' said Jesus, "thou lackest: 
go thy way, sell all that thou hast and give to the poor, 
and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come, take 
up the cross and follow Me." Jesus doubtless saw that 
in the heart of this noble young man, love of the world 
was so despotic that it could only be dethroned by the 
absolute sacrifice of all his earthly possessions. What he 
lacked was love — love to give his all for Christ's sake. 
This unexpected answer of Christ overwhelmed the in- 
quirer with distress. He wanted eternal life ; but he 
wanted also riches, and the applause of men. He could 
not renounce the world for the sake of becoming the fol- 
lower of Him who had not where to lay His head ; so he 
went away sorrowing. 

As he departed Jesus turned to His disciples, and said : 
* How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the 
kingdom of God ! " Perceiving their blank astonishment 
at His words, He explained; "Children, how hard is it 
for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom 
of God ! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye 
of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom 
of God." The amazement of the disciples at these words 
passed all bounds, and they exclaimed, "Who then can 
be saved ? " This is a plain proof that they had not up 
to this time, understood Him to teach the doctrine of un- 
conditional poverty as necessary to salvation. And He 
did not teach it now. On the contrary, He set forth the 
extreme difficulty with which the hearts of the rich can 
be detached from their possessions, — their idol, — without 
which, assuredly, they can not be saved. "With men," 
Jesus said, " this is impossible ; but not with God ; for 
with God all things are possible." 

Peter, not we think, to boast of the sacrifices he had 
made, here exclaimed, " Behold we have forsaken all and 
followed Thee : what shall we have therefore ? " The 



584 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

answer of Jesus is memorable and "very full of comfort:" 
" Verily, I say unto you, that ye which have followed Me, 
in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the 
throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, 
judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that 
hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or 
mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, 
shall receive an hundred fold, and shall inherit everlast- 
ing life. But many that are first shall be last ; and the 
last first." Peter's question seemed to intimate, that the 
sacrifice which he and his fellow-disciples had made, mer- 
ited some eminent reward in the kingdom of God. Jesus 
would not leave him in this error; but proceeded to show, 
in a parable, that the rewards of the heavenly kingdom 
were not of debt but of grace ; that they who were called 
first, and labored longest, have no more claim upon God 
than those who were called last ; but that to all the cove- 
nant promise shall be fulfilled in its integrity* 

" For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is 
an householder, which went out early in the morning to 
hire laborers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed 
with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into 
his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, 
and saw others standing idle in the market-place, and he 
said unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard ; and what- 
soever is right I will give you. And they went their way. 
Again, he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and 
did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, 
and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why 
stand ye here all the day idle ? They say unto him, Be- 
cause no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye 
also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right that shall 
ye receive. So when even was come, the lord of the 

* Alford in loco. 



THE LAST JOURNEY: THE YOUNG EULER. 585 

vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the laborers and 
give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the 
first. And when they came that were hired about the 
eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But 
when the first came, they supposed that they should have 
received more ; and they likewise received every man a 
penny. And when they had received it, they murmured 
against the good man of the house, saying, These last 
have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them 
equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of 
the day. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, 
I do thee no wrong ; didst not thou agree with me for a 
penny ? Take that thine is, and go thy way ; I will give 
unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me 
to do what I will with mine own ? Is thine eye evil be- 
cause I am good ? So the last shall be first, and the first 
last ; for many be called, but few chosen." 



CHAPTEE X. 
THE LAST JOURNEY: THE AMBITIOUS DISCIPLES. 

JESUS PREDICTS HIS SUFFERINGS AND DEATH — SALOME'S AMBITIOUS Rte- 
QUEST FOR HER SONS — OUR LORD'S DISPOSAL OF THE MATTER — IN- 
DIGNATION OF THE OTHER DISCIPLES — OUR LORD'S DISCOURSE ON 
ECCLESIASTICAL AMBITION — HEALING OF BLIND BARTIMEUS. 

Matthew xx. 17-34. Mark x. 32-52. Luke xvin. 1-10 ; 31-34. 

Jesus was rapidly advancing towards Jerusalem, the 
fatal city. The route He had chosen, for reasons already 
mentioned, was a circuitous one, leading through the 
valley of the Jordan and the city of Jericho. The caravan 
from Galilee and beyond Jordan to which He and His 
disciples appear to have attached themselves, was by this 
time probably descending the barren mountains which 
slope towards the Jordan from the west. The forest of 
palms and the city of Jericho were doubtless in view in 
the distance, while away to the right stretched the jagged 
range of the white limestone hills of Judea. The sight 
of these distant hills would naturally suggest to the dis- 
ciples whither they were going, and the dangers that 
must attend the journey. They were "amazed" and 
"afraid" at the prospect. Possibly also there was that 
in the countenance and bearing of then Lord, which 
added to their concern. Their feelings, however, were 
not wholly those of natural terror. Though their views 
of Jesus and His mission were crude and defective, they 
still had living faith in Him as the Son of God, and were 



THE LAST JOURNEY : THE AMBITIOUS DISCIPLES. 587 

looking and longing for His full manifestation to Israel. 
And He was now about to respond to this expectation. 
The crisis was at hand. And though they had no doubt 
as to the final issue, they apprehended a fearful commotion 
and struggle. Jesus would be recognized as the Messiah 
and His glorious kingdom established; but considering 
the hostility of the powerful sects arrayed against Him, 
and the strength of the Roman authorities, what dreadful 
conflicts might intervene ! 

Knowing what was passing in their minds ; and know- 
ing, too, that while He was to enter Jerusalem and the 
temple as the Holy King, amidst the acclamations of 
seemingly loyal multitudes, all this was speedily to be 
followed by the treason of Judas, the mock trial, the 
execrations of the people, and the cruel death of the 
cross, our Lord again took the twelve apart and plainly 
declared to them His approaching sufferings and death : 
" Behold we go up to Jerusalem ; and the Son of man 
shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the 
scribes, and they shall condemn Him to death, and shall 
deliver Him to the Gentiles, and they shall mock Him, 
and shall spit upon Him, and shall kill Him; and the 
third day He shall rise again." This was sufficiently ex- 
plicit, but the apostles understood it not. They could 
not believe that He whom they looked upon as the King 
of Israel was about to suffer a shameful death. Precisely 
what He meant they could not conjecture ; but they 
seemed to think He was speaking figuratively. Danger, 
they knew, was at hand ; but they looked for some sud- 
den, supernatural deliverance. They were, however, per- 
plexed and dispirited by what they had heard, and fol- 
lowed Jesus trembling. 

It was probably about this time that they joined the 
Galilee caravan, in which were doubtless many friends 
and fellow-disciples, all overjoyed to see once more their 



588 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

beloved Master. It would seem that the loving and en- 
thusiastic Salome here met her two sons, and perhaps 
heard from their lips what Jesus had just said. In this 
view there was something noble in the request which she 
preferred in their behalf. Coming to Jesus and "worship- 
ing" Him, she presented to Him James and John, who 
themselves joined in the petition, saying, " Grant that 
these my two sons may sit, the one on Thy right hand 
and the other on the left, in Thy kingdom." Doubtless Sa- 
lome truly honored Jesus as the Messiah, and though her 
prayer was tainted with selfish ambition, we must by no 
means think of her as destitute of a higher and purer 
feeling. Surely a mother may lawfully ask that her sons 
may be near to Christ in danger, and reign with Him in 
glory. The fault of Salome lay in that low conception 
of Christ's kingdom, from which her faith was not wholly 
freed. She evidently thought it was about to appear, and 
she longed to see her sons occupy the chief places in it. 
We can not but think that James and John joined in the 
request with clearer and loftier views. They were already 
closely associated with Jesus, and John always sat on His 
right hand; he was "that disciple whom Jesus loved;" 
he had long been in intimate communion with Him ; and 
he may have aspired, more from love than ambition, to be 
near his adorable Master in His kingdom. Besides, it is 
probable that the a sons of thunder " intended to assure 
our Lord of their unflinching fidelity in the time of trial 
which was at hand. Though He had spoken to them of 
His rejection, and condemnation by the chief priests and 
scribes, and of the cruel outrages He was soon to suffer 
from the Gentiles ; though He had plainly told them that 
He was about to be crucified, they professed their un- 
shaken faith in His final triumph, and their willingness to 
cast in their lot with Him for weal or for woe. 

We believe that Jesus regarded the petitioners with 



THE LAST JOUKNET : THE AMBITIOUS DISCIPLES. 589 

pitying eyes, as He said to them, ec Ye know not what ye 
ask : can ye drink of the cup that I drink of, and be bap- 
tized with the baptism that I am baptized with ? " As 
if He had said, "Alas you know not what is involved in 
your request. Are you sure that you can drink the cup 
of death, which I am about to drink even to the dregs ? 
Can you go down into those depths of suffering in which 
I am about to be overwhelmed ? " The two disciples an- 
swer with an assurance which almost makes us shudder, 
"We cak." Their sincerity is as undoubted as their igno- 
rance. They had unwittingly asked that they might take 
the place of the two thieves who were crucified with 
Christ; but though we may doubt whether they would 
have spoken so confidently, had they known the dread 
baptism for which they offered themselves, we do not 
question their earnest purpose to follow their Lord at all 
hazards. Their devoted love to Jesus, however, was tinc- 
tured with natural self-reliance : " We are able." Surely 
they know not what they say. 

Our Lord, knowing the love that lies at the bottom 
of their hearts, deals with them tenderly : " Ye shall 
indeed drink of My cup ; and be baptized with the bap- 
tism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right 
hand and on My left is not Mine to give ; but it shall be 
given to them for whom it is prepared of My Father." 
Did James remember these words when he fell a martyr 
under the persecuting rage of Herod ? Did John recall 
this prophecy when he was an exile in Patmos for the 
testimony of Jesus? They did drink of the cup of Christ; 
they were baptized with His baptism ; and they did not 
falter when the trial came, but they found that all their 
sufficiency was of God. They were enabled to redeem 
the pledge which they ignorantly gave. Though they 
knew not the full extent of their promise, it sprang from 
the deep prophetic feeling of their hearts. And Jesus 



590 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

took them at their word, and through His grace they kept 
that word unto death. 

When the ten apostles saw how Salome and her sons 
had thus stolen the march on them, they were full of 
indignation. They regarded it as an attempt to cir- 
cumvent them. Doubtless each of them thought that 
he had a special title to distinction in the kingdom of 
Christ. They were blinded by worldly feelings and mo- 
tives. They were not unlike modern office-seekers, who 
surround a new dignitary with warm professions of devo- 
tion to his person and his interests, and who regard with 
angry jealousy the more favored among his clients. Now 
I would by no means intimate that the disciples were, on 
the whole, like the greedy parasites of a rising statesman. 
There was at least but one in the apostolic college open 
to such a comparison — I mean Judas Iscariot — but they 
were all jealous of the sons of Zebedee, and a bitter 
quarrel was imminent. Jesus, therefore, called them to 
Him and said to them : a Ye know that the princes of the 
Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and their great 
ones exercise authority upon them ; but it shall not be 
so among you ; but whosoever will be great among you 
let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief 
among you let him be your servant — yea, the servant of 
all. Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered 
unto but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for 
many." 

In these marvellous words Christ lays open the inmost 
nature of His kingdom, and teaches the apostles how 
they may attain its highest honors and rewards. These 
are " prepared of the Father " for those who are the most 
humble and the most useful. Those who are as little chil- 
dren, artless and lowly in heart ; those who are self-sacri- 
ficing servants of their brethren; who think no place 
and no labors degrading by which they can do good ; 



THE LAST JOURNEY : THE AMBITIOUS DISCIPLES. 591 

they shall be near Christ in His kingdom ; they shall sit 
on His right hand and on His left ; they shall enter into 
the joy and sit down on the throne of their Lord. Thus, 
in the kingdom of God, all preeminence rests on love, 
and love teaches us to serve others. Love in self-sacrifice 
is so mighty a power that those who manifest it in its 
highest energy attain to wide dominion. Men are true 
kings, even in this world, in proportion to the love that 
is in them. The disciples were not wrong in assuming 
that there were degrees of nearness to the Lord ; some- 
thing of this kind existed at that very time. The sev- 
enty were further removed from Him than the twelve ; 
and among these again Peter, James and John stood 
nearest to Him, while only John lay in His bosom. The 
mistake lay in their confounding earthly with spiritual 
dominion. The former, founded on force and wielded 
by selfishness, passes naturally into oppression ; the latter, 
resting on moral influence, and exercised in love, blesses 
all who yield to its authority. The Saviour sets Himself 
before His followers as the perfect pattern of holy, self- 
sacrificing, ministering love, in which alone lies His royal 
power and preeminence. 

Soon after this conversation the caravan passed through 
Jericho. It is probable that our Lord remained in the 
neighborhood of the city at least one night; and He 
there wrought miracles concerning which the accounts of 
the evangelists differ. Matthew records the healing of 
two blind men, when Jesus left Jericho; Mark mentions 
only one; while Luke gives an account of a similar case 
when Jesus was about to enter the city. We are at 
liberty to accept any natural hypothesis which harmo- 
nizes the records. The city was a large one, and blind- 
ness a frequent disease of the climate. What is more 
probable than that a blind beggar was healed while Jesus 
was entering Jericho, and that, while he joyfully followed 



592 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

his Benefactor, he bethought him of his late companions 
in affliction, and especially of his friend Bartimeus, who 
sat at the opposite gate ? Using his new gift of sight, he 
hastened to apprise the sufferers of the Helper that was 
at hand, urging them to share in his own experience, and 
prompting the very words in which the petition was con- 
veyed. We can not but regard it as highly probable that 
at least three blind men were healed in the neighborhood 
of Jericho. We select for narration the case of Bartimeus. 
This poor man on being informed that Jesus of Naza- 
reth was passing by, began to cry out: "Jesus, thou Son 
of David, have mercy on me ! " He had heard of Jesus, 
and believed in Him as the promised Messiah. His im- 
portunity was so clamorous that many bade him hold his 
peace ; but he thereupon became more earnest and im- 
portunate. At last Jesus paused and commanded the man 
to be called. See him casting away his garments and run- 
ning to Jesus. " What wilt thou," said our Lord, " that I 
should do unto thee?" "Lord, that I may receive my 
sight." u Go thy way," said Jesus, a thy faith hath made 
thee whole." His way, after he was healed, was up to 
Jerusalem. 



CHAPTER XL 

THE LAST JOURNEY: CONVERSION OF ZACCHEUS. 

JERICHO AND ITS NEIGHBORHOOD — ZACCHEUS — HE SEEKS TO SEE JESUS — 
JESUS AT THE HOUSE OF ZACCHET^ — HEREDITARY PIETY A LAW OF 
GOD'S KINGDOM — PARABLE OF TJ* TEN POUNDS. 

]>KE XIX. 1-27. 

Jericho, in the ti^e of Christ, was a city of great 
wealth and import^ce. It lay in a broad plain which is 
overhung on the west by that high and barren mountain, 
on which, according to tradition, our Saviour was assailed 
by the tem/ter, and bounded on the east by the moun- 
tains of Moab. In the midst of this plain flowed the 
Jordan here about to lose its limpid waters in the Dead 
Sea The climate, though hot and unhealthy in the sum- 
mer, was, in winter, most delicious ; hence, perhaps, it was 
a favorite residence of the priests. The broad valley was 
famous for its fertility, and for its stately groves of palm, 
balsam, cypress, fig and olive trees. It was indeed a re- 
gion of perennial verdure and bloom, well deserving its 
name — the land of heaven. The city had been rebuilt 
and fortified by Herod the Great; and was afterwards 
greatly embellished by Archelaus, who brought water 
from a distance in costly aqueducts, the ruins of which are 
still visible. The city was rich in treasures of all kinds, 
for it lay near one of the fords of the Jordan, and on an 
important caravan road, thus sustaining important com- 
mercial relations with the east and north as well as with 
38 



594 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

i 

Jerusalem. The revenues of the city had long been so 
important that the collection of them was entrusted only 
to men of energy and capacity. The head tax-gatherer 
of Jericho was a citizen of distinction and ability, though 
he could not hope to enjoy the good-will of the people. 
A publican in that age was regarded as a traitor to his 
country, and a renegade from his religion. He was 
treated as a heathen and an outcast. The Pharisees 
would have regarded themselves as denied by entering 
his house or sitting wits him at meat. 

The chief officer of the revenue, when Jesus came to 
the city, was a man named Zaccheus, a Jew by blood, 
though virtually excommunicated on account of his em- 
ployment. He was doubtless * man of capacity, well 
versed in human nature; a shrevd, perhaps somewhat 
unscrupulous man of the world, homing the bigotry of 
his nation in contempt, and not slow ia returning scorn 
for scorn. A man of a different character would scarcely 
have accepted such an office under the Ro^an govern- 
ment ; he would not certainly have been long i^tained in 
it. There is no evidence that he had been guiltj of ex- 
traordinary extortion, though his employment was lucra- 
tive, and he had accumulated a large fortune. "We inftr 
from his own words to Jesus that his hands were by no 
means pure. Zaccheus had doubtless often heard of Jesus, 
and it is just possible that he was acquainted with Levi 
or Matthew who had also been a publican in Galilee. 
However this may be, the history almost compels us to 
suppose that there had been a preparatory work of divine 
grace in his heart. Probably he had begun to feel that 
he was an outcast from the society of the good ; that his 
wealth was dearly purchased and unsatisfying. He felt 
that his life had been selfish, and who knows but he had 
sometimes cried, smiting ononis breast, "God, be merciful 
to me a sinner ! " He had heard of Jesus and wished to 



THE LAST JOURNEY : CONVERSION OF ZACCHEUS. 595 

see Him, and this was in his case a matter of difficulty ; 
for, being a man of small stature, he was unable to over- 
look the multitute who thronged about the Saviour. He 
therefore ran ahead of the procession, and climbed up into 
a sycamore tree which stood by the way. Perched thus 
upon the tree he awaited the approach of Jesus. 

Onward He comes, superhuman purity in every linea- 
ment and motion. Zaccheus, why does such a sense 
of unworthiness — such a feeling of shame and compunc- 
tion — weigh down thy heart? Whence this desire that 
thou too wert His disciple ? Why does thy heart swell 
and thine eye moisten, as thou gazest down on that rev- 
erend form ? Methinks I hear him murmur, " Oh, that I 
were not a publican and a sinner, for then I might come 
near Him and be reckoned among His friends ! " Jesus 
approaches the sycamore tree. He stops ; He looks up ; 
He speaks : tt Zaccheus, make haste and come down ; for 
to-day I must abide at thy house." Zaccheus can hardly 
believe his own ears; but he hastens down and joyfully 
conducts his unexpected but welcome Guest to his house. 
There probably Jesus spent the night. The people mur- 
mured aloud. How little they understood the heart of 
Christ or the nature of His mission ! What they regarded 
as a reproach, was a true type of His whole ministry on 
earth. Jesus came from heaven to be the Guest of sin- 
ners. He passed by the dwellings of all the priests and 
Pharisees of Jericho, and sought the hospitality of a man 
held in universal detestation. So full of pity was the Son 
of man towards the sinful and lost. 

Well, Jesus is at the house of Zaccheus, and while the 
Pharisees are scowling, and the multitude muttering with- 
out, great things are going on in that house. What dis- 
course Jesus had with His host we know not; but we 
do know that the publican became a new man. It was 
the next morning, probably, that Zaccheus stood up be- 



596 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

fore Christ, and said : " Lord, behold the half of my goods 
I give to the poor ; and if I have taken away anything 
from any man by false accusation, I restore him four-fold." 
This was said with due deliberation. He had meditated 
the matter over night ; and now he stood wp to give his 
words a solemn formality. He had determined to give 
away unconditionally half of his estate, and he offered the 
legal four-fold restitution to those whom he had wronged. 
It is evident from this, that he had come honestly by the 
bulk of his property. He seems to confess, however, 
that he had in some cases extorted money by false ac- 
cusation ; and he declared his purpose to make ample sat- 
isfaction to all whom he had defrauded. And this was 
the best possible evidence of a true conversion, — our Sav- 
iour Himself being judge : tt This day is salvation come 
to this house ; forasmuch as he also is the son of Abraham; 
for the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which 
was lost." Zaccheus was beloved for the fathers' sake. 
He was a son of Abraham and an heir of the promise: 
"I will be a God to thee and thy seed after thee." That 
covenant was a rainbow that overarched all generations. 
When Jesus came in the flesh, " He took upon Him the 
seed of Abraham;" and the whole tenor of His life showed 
His special regard to the chosen race. He was sent to 
the lost sheep of the house of Israel. To them must the 
gospel first be preached, unbelieving and obstinate though 
they were ; they still bore the seal of the covenant, and 
were therefore entitled to the first offer of salvation. 
■They were indeed lost, but they were GocVs lost, and for- 
ever dear to Him. In Zaccheus the Jew had been over- 
looked in the publican ; the heir of the covenant in the 
agent of Roman despotism. Jesus recognized in him a 
lost child of Abraham and of God. 

Here is disclosed a perpetual law of the kingdom of 
God. The children of believers, the heirs of the covenant, 



THE LAST JOUKtfEY: CONVERSION OF ZACCIIEUS. 597 

may indeed renounce their birthright and perish through 
unbelief; but the general order of Christ's kingdom is not 
so. The history of true religion in the world is largely a 
family history. The taint of depravity is indeed transmit- 
ted to all, but the children of the covenant are in a special 
sense heirs of salvation ; they can only be disinherited "by 
their own incorrigible unbelief. " The mercy of the Lord 
is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear 
Him, and His righteousness unto children's children ; to 
such as keep His covenant, and to those who remember 
His commandments to do them." 

Jesus now took His leave of Zaccheus and set His face 
towards Jerusalem. The disciples, exalted by all they 
had witnessed at Jericho, to a high pitch of enthusiam, 
thought that the kingdom of God would immediately ap- 
pear. It would seem that the parable of the Pounds was 
spoken in the way soon after they set out on their toil- 
some walk to Bethany. "There were three points on 
which He especially sought to fix their attention, namely, 
the opposition He was to encounter at Jerusalem; His 
departure from them and return at a later period to sub- 
due His foes and establish His kingdom in triumph ; and, 
finally, their duty to labor actively in the interval, and 
not to await in indolence, the achievement of victory by 
other means without their cooperation." * 

"A certain nobleman went into a far country, to re- 
ceive for himself a kingdom and to return. And he 
called his ten servants and delivered them ten pounds, 
and said unto them, Occupy till I come. But his citizens 
hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, we will 
not have this man to reign over us. And it came to pass, 
that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, 
then he commanded those servants to be called unto him 



Meander's " Life of Christ," page 348. 



598 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

to whom lie had given the money, that he might know 
how much every one had gained by trading. Then came 
the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. 
And he saith unto him, Well, thou good servant ; because 
thou hast been faithful over a very little, have thou au- 
thority over ten cities. And the second came, saying, 
Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said 
likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. And an- 
other came, saying, Lord, behold here is thy pound, which 
I have kept laid up in a napkin ; for I feared thee because 
thou art an austere man ; thou takest up that thou layedst 
not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. And he 
saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge 
thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an 
austere man, taking up that I laid not down and reap- 
ing that I did not sow ! Wherefore then gavest thou not 
my money into the bank, that, at my coming, I might 
have required mine own with usury ? And he said unto 
them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give 
it to him that hath ten pounds, (And they said unto 
him, Lord, he hath ten pounds !) For I say unto you, 
That unto every one that hath shall be given ; and from 
him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away 
from him. But those mine enemies, which would not 
that I should reign over them, bring them hither, and 
slay them before me." 

Having spoken this parable, Jesus led the disciples up 
the steep, desert road towards Jerusalem. 



PART IX. 



Passion "Week 



CHAPTER I. 

MARY ANOINTS JESUS AT THE HOUSE OF SIMON. 



JOURNEY OF JESUS FROM JERICHO TO JERUSALEM — FEAST AT THE HOUSE 
OF SIMON THE LEPER — MARY ANOINTS HER LORD — INDIGNATION OF 
THE DISCIPLES — JESUS JUSTIFIES HER — SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ANOINT- 
ING, 

Mark xiv. 3-9. John xii. 1-9. 

Theke is no more sterile or desolate region in the Holy 
Land than that between Jericho and Jerusalem ; it must 
always have presented the same dreary aspect as now ; 
for it is utterly incapable of cultivation. Through this 
region, a steep, rocky path leads to the latter city, the 
ascent being for some fifteen miles, singularly toilsome 
and exhausting. Up this mountain road Jesus with His 
disciples is now slowly toiling, cheered by occasional 
glimpses of the Mount of Olives in the distance, and of 
a village, a little below, embowered in palm-trees, olive 
orchards, and pomegranates. To this village, looking 
even now, from a distance, u the perfection of retirement 
and repose," # the way-worn and dusty company looked 
forward with hope and longing; it was Bethany, the 
village of Martha and Mary, and Lazarus. At length, as 
is conjectured, on a Friday evening, Je^us reached the 
hospitable dwelling where He had spent so many hours in 
the society of those He loved ; and who can doubt that 
He was received with demonstrations of reverence and 



*Bonar, 139, 230, 310, 337. 



602 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

joy ? How wistfully, a few weeks before, had the two sis- 
ters looked down that gloomy road to the Jordan, watch- 
ing for His coming ? Then they were in deep affliction ; 
for Lazarus was sick unto death. With what different 
emotions do they now welcome their Friend and Bene- 
factor to their ever grateful home ! 

The next day the disciples at Bethany made our Lord 
a supper at the house of one Simon the leper, — a man 
who had probably been cleansed by Jesus of that horri- 
ble disease, so much dreaded in the East even to this day. 
How he was related to the family of Lazarus — whether 
he was as one ancient tradition says, his father; or accord- 
ing to another, the husband of Martha ; or whether he 
was only an intimate friend — is unknown. At his house, 
however, the feast was spread, and Martha was among 
them that served* As a friend and neighbor, if not as 
hostess, she lent her skillful and energetic assistance in 
waiting on the guests, and she was not now in the mood 
to complain of her younger sister for lack of cooperation. 
Much serving there is to be done, but it does not appear 
that Martha is any longer " cumbered " with it. In her 
own way she acceptably expresses her affection to her 
adored Master. Lazarus sat at the feast, an honored 
guest, but silent. He had known the dread secrets of 
hades by actual experience ; but he held his peace : 

" Behold a man raised up by Christ ; 
The rest remaineth unrevealed ; 
He told it not ; or something sealed 
The lips of that evangelist." 

It is very touching to think of Lazarus as sitting silent 
at that supper, with unutterable memories in his eyes. 

# "It is very common in the East, that a person who is~ attached to you by 
a bond of affection or of domesticity should go to serve you when you go out 
to dine." (Renan, Life of Jesus, page 314, note.) 



THE ANOINTING OF JESUS. 603 

Perhaps the secrets of the spiritual world can not be told 
in mortal speech. 

There is another figure at this banquet, equally silent, 
but invested with a glory which can never grow dim. It 
is Mary, the sister of Lazarus. I picture her to myself as 
gazing alternately on her beloved brother and on Him 
whose voice had called him from the tomb. Heaven 
broods upon her face. Her eyes are "homes of silent 
prayer." She gazes with infinite adoration on the form 
of the Saviour, who is to her " God manifest in the flesh." 
Her dumb love, swelling like ocean tides till it overflows 
her whole being, struggles for expression. Guided by a 
prophetic instinct, she takes an alabaster vase of genuine 
spikenard, — a most precious ointment, used only by the 
rich, and by them only on extraordinary festive occasions. 
She first anoints the feet of Jesus, and then wringing off 
the neck of the vase she pours its contents on His head. 
Then prostrating herself before Him in an ecstasy of wor- 
ship, she wipes His feet with her hair. The fragrance of 
the ointment filled the whole room. 

While Mary was thus engaged there were those who 
looked on with no friendly eyes. Among the apostles 
themselves was one of a sordid, avaricious spirit, who had 
never had a glimpse of the true glory of Christ, or of the 
nature of His kingdom. This was Judas Iscariot. On 
account of his skill in worldly affairs he had been made 
the steward and treasurer of the little community, and 
carried the purse. He was already more than suspected 
of having embezzled the funds entrusted to his keeping ; 
for the ruling passion of his heart was the love of money. 
He had therefore fallen in the day of temptation ; but up 
to this time, so consummate had been his hypocrisy, that 
he had enjoyed the full confidence of most of his fellow- 
disciples, who probably regarded him as a man of pru- 
dence as well as piety. This man beheld the anointing 



604 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

by Mary, with contracted brows. a Why," he muttered, 
" was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and 
given to the poor?" The other disciples at once began 
to say among themselves, "Why was this waste of the 
ointment made ? for it might have been sold for more 
than three hundred pence, and have been given to the 
poor." In fact the estimate of Judas was low. The box 
of ointment, weighing a pound, must have cost more than 
fifty dollars according to our reckoning, It must be con- 
fessed that, viewing the affair as a mere matter of econ- 
omy, Judas had some show of reason on bis side. As- 
suming that Mary was rich, — and this, though possible, is 
scarcely probable, — does not her generosity seem extrav- 
agant? How much might have been done with three 
hundred pence ? And then what good was done by the 
anointing ? Would not the majority of modern Chris- 
tians reason in the same way ? Is there anything more 
shocking to them than the waste of money ? Let us not 
judge the disciples too harshly for the censure which 
they pronounced on Mary at the instigation of Judas. 
He indeed was only enraged because the value of the 
ointment had not come into his bag; but his cunning 
suggestion that the poor were robbed by Mary's extrava- 
gance, struck them as reasonable. 

Poor Mary ! What must have been her emotions 'when 
she heard these comments on an act which she must have 
presumed, would, at such a moment, be understood by all 
the disciples, She had not once thought of expense ; -she 
had scarcely thought at all ; what she had done was in a 
rapture of holy love ; and now to be told that she had 
been guilty of sinful extravagance and of indifference 
to the wants of the poor, — this sorely perplexed and 
troubled her. But be of good cheer, Mary ; though the 
servants can not understand you, the Master can and does. 
a When Jesus understood it, He said unto them, Why 



THE ANOINTING OF JESUS. 605 

trouble ye the woman ? for she hath wrought a good work 
upon me. For ye have the poor always with you ; but 
Me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this 
ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. Verily I 
say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached 
in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman 
hath done, be told for a memorial of her." 

The prediction with which this eulogy closes is very 
extraordinary. It shows an absolute assurance in the 
mind of Jesus, not only that His religion would become 
universal, but that the minute incidents of His earthly 
life, — and this especially, would he preserved in written 
records ; for in no other conceivable way could the fact 
be everywhere preserved and known.* Such an assur- 
ance, so boldly uttered, goes far towards proving His 
divine character and mission. The fulfillment of the 
promise is sufficiently apparent. This present history 
tells over again, in this western world, the story which 
has been told a thousand times before, and which will be 
told to successive generations till the end of time. Re- 
nan omits much, almost everything essential in the life 
of Jesus ; but he was not permitted to omit this.f 

Coming now to examine the grounds of this eulogy, — 
which is quite unparalleled among those which fell from 
the lips of our Lord, — it is obvious that Mary's act must 
be judged of in the light of her general character. Had 
the same thing been done by another person, in a spirit 
of ostentation, or for some selfish end, it would doubtless 
have been pronounced by Christ wholly sinful and un- 
lovely. In Mary it was transcendently beautiful. It was 
the spontaneous act of adoring love. Now Christ re- 
garded love to Himself — which was indeed but love to 
perfect goodness and absolute truth — as the one supreme 

* Alford on Matthew xxvi. 13. t " Life of Jesus," pages 313-315. 



606 TEE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

virtue which reduced all faults coexisting with it to zero. 
No matter how defective according to an exact legal 
standard a character might be, if marked by the pre- 
dominance of this one element, He regarded it, as just 
and good. In such a character He would see no sin — 
mark no fault. Mary may have had many defects, though 
she seems to have been singularly pure ; but her love to 
Christ was probably unrivalled ; it was a love too large, too 
adoring for words. Could she have expressed it in song, 
we should have had such a hymn as mortals never heard. 
But her affection was dumb : so she seized the alabaster 
vase, broke it, and poured the precious nard over the head 
and the feet of Him, who in her eyes was the "Bright- 
ness of the Father's glory, and the express image of His 
Person." That was her hymn. Her love was like the 
ointment poured forth, rich, fragrant, precious. Love like 
Mary's makes its own law. It sometimes sets at nought 
the maxims of worldly prudence, and disregards temporal 
utilities ; bat whatever it does is good and lovely. It 
gives what it has at hand most precious; it gives all, 
expecting no reward, and satisfied only with the full ex- 
pression of its own divine intensity. If the perfume had 
been worth thirty thousand pence instead of three hun- 
dred, Mary would have poured it out on the head of the 
Eedeemer, and her love would have justified the deed. 
None the less would it have been precious in the eyes of 
Christ, had it been worth but a penny. Still He would 
have pronounced it a "good work;" still He would have 
commended her, saying, " She hath done what she comd." 
Mary's exceeding love to Christ, inward and spiritual 
as it was, drew her nearer to Him in sympathy than most 
of the disciples. She understood the mission of Christ 
better than the apostles themselves : for while they were 
incapable, even to the last, of perceiving the necessity of 
His sufferings, she knew it so perfectly that she anointed 






THE ANOINTING OF JESUS. 607 

Him beforehand for His burial. She understood the sig- 
nificance of her own act. She felt the divine sorrow which 
He carried in His heart; she remembered what He had 
so often said touching His passion and death. She knew 
that His hour was at hand ; that she was in truth anoint- 
ing that holy body for the sepulchre. It was an act of 
surpassing love, of speechless sorrow, and not less of calm, 
prophetic, victorious faith. While she anointed Him for 
the tomb, she did homage to Him as her King, and joy- 
fully anticipated His resurrection and glory. May we not 
reverently presume that the human heart of Jesus found 
consolation, during that awful week, in the knowledge 
that one other human heart felt the burden that was 
crushing His ? And if the anointing was a token of this 
profound sympathy, is it wonderful that His undying 
praise immortalized the deed ? 



CHAPTEE II. 

THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY OF CHRIST INTO JERUSALEM. 

ENTHUSIASM OF THE PEOPLE — ROUTE OF THE PROCESSION — PROGRESS 
FROM BETHANY DESCRIBED — CHRIST WEEPS OVER JERUSALEM — ENTERS 

THE TEMPLE — RETURNS TO BETHANY — THE BARREN FIG-TREE CURSED 

SECOND PURIFICATION OF THE TEMPLE. 

Matthew xxi. 1-19. Mark xi. 1-19. Luke xix. 24-44. Johs xn. 12-19. 

"When Jesus and His apostles turned aside on Friday, 
to spend the Sabbath with their friends in Bethany, the 
multitude who came up with them from Jericho went on 
to Jerusalem, which was only a half-hour distant. They 
carried the tidings to the city, already full of pilgrims, 
that Jesus had come up to attend the Passover, and that 
Lazarus, who had probably accompanied his Master to His 
retreat in Ephraim, had returned with Him. The news 
flew through the city and created in all classes intense 
excitement. The disciples were filled with joy and hope ; 
for they expected the immediate coming of the king- 
dom of God. The priests and Pharisees, — all the enemies 
of Christ, — exulted, not without fear and misgiving ; for 
though they were glad to have Him once more within 
their reach, and were resolved that He should not again 
escape them, they felt that they had reason to apprehend 
a popular uprising in His favor. His miracles, and espe- 
cially the raising of Lazarus, the reality of which they 
could not deny, had convinced many of His divine mission, 



THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY. 609 

and had kindled an almost national enthusiasm. It had 
indeed become a question whether Lazarus himself must 
not also be put out of the way. Probably much of the 
Sabbath was spent by the leading conspirators in anxious 
consultation. The strangers in the city heard with startled 
interest of the words and works of the Galilean Prophet, 
and many of them earnestly desired to see Him. The 
majority of the people were probably without any defi- 
nite convictions, and were ready to yield themselves to 
any strong popular movement. The Eoman authorities 
were, as usual, vigilant, but calm, and not predisposed to 
attach great importance to religious excitements among 
the Jews. They were indeed beginning to hold all re- 
ligions in equal contempt. 

Many of the Jews, when they heard that Jesus and Laza- 
rus were in Bethany, went out to see them, some of the 
less rigid perhaps on the morning of the Sabbath; others 
at sunset. However this may be, Jesus seems to have 
spent that day in peaceful seclusion with the beloved 
family of Martha. He well knew what was before Him 
during that awful week. The time was come for Him to 
manifest Himself to His people as the promised King of 
Israel. His next entry into Jerusalem was to be with a 
pomp and majesty befitting His character and the nature 
of His kingdom. The manner and circumstances of this 
entry, though they came about naturally, none the less 
entered into the plan of Christ, and were ordered by the 
providence of God. He who knew what was in man fore- 
saw that the enthusiam of the multitude would spontane- 
ously offer Him an ovation on the morrow, — an ovation 
that should fulfill the prophetic sign of His Messianic char- 
acter. Zechariah had said, " Rejoice greatly, daughter 
of Zion ; shout, daughter of Jerusalem ; behold, thy 
King cometh unto thee ; He is just and having salvation ; 

lowly and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of 
39 



610 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

an ass." # The attempts of several well-meaning writers 
to show that Jesus fulfilled this prophecy half-uncon- 
sciously, are ill-judged and unnecessary. It seems clear 
that our Lord intended on this occasion to proclaim Him- 
self, in the most public manner possible, the very King 
spoken of by the prophet. His own part in the proces- 
sion, therefore, was predetermined, Whether one of His 
friends in the neighboring village of Bethphage had been 
directed to provide the ass on which the Lord was to ride 
into the Holy City, is not certain ; but the language of the 
inspired narrative leads us rather to the conviction that 
no such arrangement had been made. The ass was provi- 
dentially ready at the time when the " Lord had need of 
him." There is no miracle in the case, unless our Lord's 
knowledge be called miraculous. The entry probably did 
not take place till the afternoon of the day following the 
Sabbath — that is to say, on Sunday of Passion Week — 
just one week before His resurrection. 

"Three pathways lead, — and probably always led, — 
from Bethany to Jerusalem ; one, a steep footpath over 
the summit of Mount Olivet ; another, by a long circuit 
over its northern shoulder, down the valley which parts 
it from Scopas ; the third, the natural continuation of the 
road by which the mounted travelers always approach 
the city from Jericho, over the southern shoulder, between 
the summit which contains the Tombs of the Prophets, 
and that called the Mount of Offence. There can be no 
doubt that this last is the road of the Entry of Christ, 
not only because, as just stated, it is and must always 
have been the usual approach for horsemen, and for large 
caravans, but also because this is the only one of the 
three approaches which meets the requirements of the 
narrative which follows. This road soon loses sight of 

*Zechariah ix. 9. 



THE TKIUMPHAL ENTKY. 611 

Bethany. It is now a rough but still broad and well- 
defined mountain track, winding over rock and loose 
stones, a steep declivity below, on the left; the sloping 
shoulder of Olivet above it on the right ; fig-trees below 
and above, here and there growing out of the rocky soil." * 
Midway is an angle in the road, where a portion of the 
city first breaks on the view ; thence the descent is steep 
and almost continuous to the valley of the Kedron. 

Let us ascend the Mount of Olives above this angle to 
a point which commands a view of the whole winding 
road from Bethany to Jerusalem. Here we will take our 
stand and observe the events of the day. It is a little 
past noon. A hum from the city, as from a vast hive, 
just reaches our ears. We see its streets crowded with a 
motley multitude, looking at this distance like swarming 
bees. Caravans of pilgrims, some on horses, some on 
camels, many on foot, are passing through the gates. 
The hills around the city are thickly dotted with tents 
and booths ; indeed, the extra-mural population seems to 
exceed that within the walls. Looking down into the 
deep valley of the Kedron, we are struck with an unusual 
movement of the multitude. A steady stream is flowing 
from the city into the gardens and groves at the foot of 
Olivet. Anon, men climb the palm-trees and cut down the 
green, feathery branches. The people below seize them 
as they fall, and bearing them aloft as banners, take the 
road to Bethany. They are evidently animated with a 
common purpose. Men, women and children, commingled 
in the glad procession, sweep up the rocky pathway. 

Glancing now in the opposite direction we see the vil- 
lage of Bethany all alive. The house of Martha seems 
to be the center of a mighty mass of human beings. At 
length Jesus, followed by His apostles and personal friends, 

* Stanley's Palestine, pages 187, 188. 



612 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

Lazarus and Mary doubtless near Him, issues from the 
house and the multitude receive Him with reverent ac- 
clamations. The procession begins to move, while the 
people throng around the Saviour, many doubtless to 
thank Him for having cured them of grievous diseases. 
Men who had once been blind but now saw ; lepers who 
had been cleansed; women who had been possessed of 
devils, but were now in their right minds ; paralytics who 
now walked and leaped, praising God ; — these are there 
to testify their gratitude. Ee aching the confines of a 
little village, not far from Bethany, Jesus stops, and we 
see two disciples hastily pass into the village, till they 
come to a house where an ass, with a well grown foal, 
stands tied. They at once begin to loose the beast, and, 
after a moment's conference with the owners, lead it away 
to the place where Jesus stands. Having spread their 
garments as housings on the unbroken colt, they set 
Jesus thereon, and the procession again moves forward. 
The people, still thronging up the winding path from the 
city, meet the descending multitude ; they greet the Sav- 
iour with shouts, cast down their palm branches in the 
way, even pluck off their cloaks and spread them upon 
the stones and dust; and so turning towards the city, 
some going before and others following, they move for- 
ward, crying, "Hosanna to the Son of David ! Blessed is 
He that cometh in the name of the Lord ! Blessed be 
the kingdom of our father David that cometh in the 
name of the Lord ! Hosanna ! Peace in heaven and 
glory in the highest!" The sound is like the noise of 
many waters; it rolls down the rocky ravine, and up 
the mountains, and seems to rend the sky. There are 
Pharisees among the crowd, not probably pronounced 
enemies of Christ, who are shocked by this ascription 
to Him of Messianic honors; and they call on Jesus to 
rebuke His disciples. In reply He points to the stones 



THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY. 613 

and says: "If these should hold their peace, the stones 
would immediately cry out." Again the procession ad- 
vances, climbing a little ridge of Olivet which still veils 
the city, till it reaches a ledge of smooth rock. In an 
instant Jerusalem bursts into view. The temple, the spa- 
cious courts, the magnificent city on its broken hills, with 
its background of gardens and suburbs, stand out clear 
and distinct in the light of the declining sun. 

Here Jesus pauses. Let us reverently raise our eyes to 
the face of the King in this hour of His triumph, when 
the glad acclamations of thousands are in His ears. His 
eyes are fixed mournfully on the city, and as He gazes, 
tears roll down His cheeks. Listen : " If thou hadst 
known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things 
which belong unto thy peace! but now are they hid from 
thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that 
thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and com- 
pass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and 
shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children 
within thee ; and they shall not leave in thee one stone 
upon another ; because thou knewest not the time of thy 
visitation." Having uttered this prophetic lament, Jesus 
again advances, and the multitude shout hosannas as be- 
fore. The procession passes through the open gate and 
the streets leading towards the temple. The whole city 
is thrown into commotion. Strangers inquire, "Who is 
this?" and the multitude reply : "This is Jesus, the Prophet 
of Nazareth in Galilee." At length Jesus enters the tem- 
ple courts. The King appears in His palace. His first 
acts disclose the nature of His dominion. The blind and 
the lame come to Him and He heals them. These mira- 
cles call forth fresh outbursts of joy from the people. 
Children take up the strain and cry, "Hosanna to the 
Son of David ! " The chief priests and scribes are full of 
wrath, and say to Him : " Hearest Thou what these say ? " 



614 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. * 

"Yea," Jesus replies; "have ye never read, Out of the 
mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?" 
The day being far spent, Jesus having surveyed the tem- 
ple and marked the many evidences of sacrilegious dese- 
cration, returns to Bethany for the night. 

He returned to Jerusalem the next morning, fasting. 
His abstinence was surely voluntary, and does not appear 
to have been shared by those who were with Him. Jesus, 
however, hungered. Seeing a fig-tree standing close to 
the highway, covered with leaves, He looked to find fruit 
concealed among its luxuriant foliage. Finding on ex- 
animation that it bore "nothing but leaves," He said to 
it, " Let no fruit grow on thee hereafter forever." While 
the disciples looked upon it, it began to wither and die. 
This act forms no exception among the beneficent mira- 
cles of Christ. The object of this so-called malediction 
could feel no pain ; no wrong was done the owner, for it 
was barren ; while its death was made to preach a most 
solemn and impressive sermon to all generations, and 
especially to those then living. In truth the judgment 
on the fig-tree, with its consequent withering, is to be re- 
garded as a parable and prophecy. The Jewish nation 
was a tree planted by God Himself in a fruitful soil. Age 
after age it had put forth leaves which promised abundant 
fruit. It professed the true religion; it maintained the 
worship of the true God ; it cherished the hope of a com- 
ing Messiah ; it seemed full of religious zeal ; yet when 
the Divine Husbandman came seeking fruit, He found 
none. Therefore He doomed it to wither and die. Thus 
the sentence pronounced on Jerusalem and on the nation 
the day before is solemnly repeated, and in a form that 
the disciples could never forget. 

We must not omit, in this connection, the important 
suggestion of Neander : — "To understand Christ's act 
aright, we must not conceive that He at once caused a 



THE WITHERED FIG-TREE. 615 

sound tree to wither. This would not be in harmony 
with the general aim of His miracles ; nor would it cor- 
respond to the idea which He designed to set vividly be- 
fore the disciples. A sound tree, suddenly destroyed, 
would certainly be no fitting type of the Jewish people. 
We must rather believe that the same cause which made 
the tree barren had already prepared the way for its de- 
struction, and that Christ only hastened a crisis which had 
to come in the course of nature. In this view it would 
correspond precisely to the great event in the world's his- 
tory which it was designed to prefigure : the moral char- 
acter of the Jewish nation had long been fitting it for 
destruction ; and the divine government of the world only 
brought on the crisis." * 

It is also to be noted that the fig-tree was cursed not 
only for being fruitless but also and especially for being 
false. It gave signs of a vigorous life, and promised 
abundant fruit; but all was delusive. It was, therefore, 
a striking emblem of hypocrisy in the individual, the 
church, and the nation. "Nothing but leaves" is a terri- 
ble description of "those who profess that they know 
God, but in works deny Him." 

Our Lord lingered not at the withering fig-tree; His 
work was before Him ; this day He was to assert His 
authority over the temple and His zeal for the house of 
God. At the commencement of His ministry, He had 
purified the temple by driving out the buyers and sell- 
ers, the sheep and oxen, and by breaking up the market 
which had been established in the sacred courts. This 
was intended rather as a testimony against the sacrilege 
than as an effectual punishment ; for as soon as Jesus had 
departed the practice seems to have been resumed. It 
was indeed an old abuse sanctioned by the rulers of the 

*Life of Christ, page 358. 



616 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

temple. It was fitting that Jesus, who had a few hours 
before suffered Himself to be greeted as the Son of David 
in those very courts, should now exert His royal power 
and authority by again purging the temple of those who 
profaned it with their noisy traffic. "And they come to 
Jerusalem ; and Jesus went into the temple, and began to 
cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and 
overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the 
seats of them that sold doves, and would not suffer that 
any man should carry any vessel through the temple. 
And He taught, saying, Is it not written, My house shall 
be called of all nations the house of prayer? But ye 
have made it a den of thieves." 

For a little while Jesus was actual Lord of the temple. 
The same outflashing divinity which subdued His enemies 
on the former occasion was not wanting on this : He 
encountered no open resistance ; even the rulers and 
scribes, though they were inwardly enraged, were re- 
strained from opposition by the fear which fell upon 
them, and by the astonished enthusiasm with which He 
was regarded by the people. That He was to be put to 
death, however, they regarded as settled ; and they held 
secret consultations touching the means to be employed. 
The history of the next few days will disclose their subtle 
policy as well as their malignant hatred. It was an essen- 
tial part of their scheme to bring our Lord into discredit 
with the multitude ; and to this end they resolved to ply 
Him with questions which, as they hoped, He would not 
be able to answer without alienating from Himself all 
classes of the people. Thus they sought to array against 
Him all sects and parties. This should be borne in mind 
by the reader of the following pages. 



CHAPTER III. 

CHKIST AND THE PHARISEES. 

THE POWER OF BELIEVING PRAYER — CONVERSATION WITH THE PHARISEES, 
SCRIBES AND CHIEF PRIESTS — PARABLE OF THE TWO SONS — PARABLE 
OF THE WICKED HUSBANDMEN — PARABLE OF THE MARRIAGE FEAST. 

Mark xi. 20-33 ; xn. 1-13. Matthew xxi. 2C-46. Luee xx. 1-18. 

Jesus again spent the night in Bethany, and returning 
the next morning by the same pathway to Jerusalem, 
the disciples observed with wonder that the fig-tree was 
withered and dead. When they called the attention of 
our Lord to the fact, He said to them : " Have faith in 
God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall 
say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou 
cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart, but 
shall believe that those things which he saith shall come 
to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I 
say unto you, What things soever ye desire when ye 
pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have 
them. And when ye stand praying, forgive if ye have 
aught against any; that your Father also which is in 
heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do 
not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven 
forgive you your trespasses." 

No more pregnant utterance ever fell from the lips of 
Jesus. It sets forth with extraordinary clearness the 
divine philosophy of miracles. They are only possible 
when the human will is joined by perfect trust to the 



618 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

will of God It was thus that Jesus wrought Himself His 
mightiest miracles. While He commanded He prayed, 
as when He said, " Father, I know that thou nearest me 
always," and then cried, "Lazarus, come forth." The 
faith which removes mountains dwelt first in Jesus, and 
brought His human will into living conjunction with that 
Will which is essential omnipotence. Through the same 
faith His church was to acquire unlimited control over the 
forces of nature. This endowment belongs even now to 
the people of God, though they will only be fully con- 
scious of it when regenerate man shall tread the "new 
earth," the crowned king of " the world to come." Then 
shall new and wondrous meaning be disclosed in the pro- 
phetic language of the eighth psalm : " Thou madest him 
to have dominion over the works of Thy hands ; Thou 
hast put all things under his feet; all sheep and oxen, 
yea, and the beasts of the field, the fowl of the air, and 
the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the 
paths of the sea." The "powers of that world to come" 
were wielded at will by the Second Adam, and they were 
imparted by Him to " the church which is His body, the 
fulness of Him that filleth all in all," but those powers 
can not be arbitrarily employed at the caprice of indi- 
vidual believers. They are a sacred deposit to be drawn 
upon, in obedience to the immediate promptings of the 
Holy Spirit,, for the advancement and glory of the king- 
dom of God. 

Jesus taught His disciples that in order to keep them- 
selves in communication with the source of all supernatu- 
ral powers, they must " have " habitual, abiding faith in 
God ; and as " prayer is the utterance of faith, and faith 
the soul of prayer," He speaks of them as inseparable. 
As prevailing prayer must be without wrath as well as 
doubting, He reminds the disciples of what He had for- 
merly said in the Sermon on the Mount, that they could 






CHKJTST AND THE PHARISEES. 619 

only pray effectually when they prayed in a spirit of love 
towards their fellow-men. It would seem that there can 
not but be doubting in the heart of him who is angry 
and unforgiving. "Therefore/' says the Saviour, "when 
ye stand praying, forgive if ye have aught against any." 
It is probable that when these words were spoken Jesus 
was near the city. When He said, " ye shall say to this 
mountain, be thou removed," He doubtless pointed to 
Mount Moriah on which stood the temple. The removal 
of that mountain would be in effect the overthrow of the 
Jewish Theocracy ; the vanishing away of that dispensa- 
tion. We can not but think that the saying has this far- 
reaching meaning. Jesus intended to assure His disci- 
ples that all obstacles should disappear before the word 
of faith, even false religions, apostate churches, powerful 
hierarchies, and hostile governments* 

Having uttered these memorable sayings, our Lord 
passed into the temple. Hardly had He entered when 
the chief priests, elders, and scribes, approached Him in 
a body, and said, "By what authority doest Thou these 
things ? and who gave Thee this authority ? " They had 
evidently been in consultation, and in pursuance of their 
jDlan to draw from Him some declaration which would at 
once alienate the people and offer ground for a formal 
accusation against Him, they resolved to question Him 
in public. Their first inquiry was intentionally vague. 
The phrase " these things" could mean anything or noth- 
ing, as they might afterwards find convenient. It might 
include all His miracles and teachings since the com- 
mencement of His ministry, or it might be limited to the 
events of the last few days. By entering the city as a 
King, and accepting the homage and hosannas of the 
people, and especially by exercising for a day supreme 

* Hebrews xi. especially 32-40. 



620 THE LIFE OF CKKIST. 

authority in the temple, Jesus had seemed to set Himself 
up as the Messiah; but He had not, in so many words, 
announced His character and claims. His enemies hoped 
that the time had come, when His reticence would cease 
and He would boldly say, a I am the Cheist." In that 
case their course was plain; the whole matter might at 
once be brought before the Sanhedrim. But they were 
short-sighted with all their cunning. They fell into the 
trap which they had prepared for Him. They forgot that 
He also could ask questions. 

"Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask 
you one question, and answer Me, and I will tell you by 
what authority I do these things. The baptism of John — 
was it from heaven or of men ? Answer me." This was 
a turn which they had not expected. They well under- 
stood that John was still regarded as a true prophet by 
the whole nation ; probably they themselves had received 
his baptism; and in different circumstances they would 
not have hesitated to avow their belief in his prophetic 
mission; but to do it then and there would have entan- 
gled them in a hopeless dilemma. They knew that John 
had borne explicit testimony to Jesus as the Messiah, and 
that the next question would be, " Why did ye not believe 
Him?" On the other hand, if they denied the divine 
origin of John's baptism they dreaded an outbreak of the 
multitude, who without exception "counted John, that 
He was a prophet indeed." In this dilemma, after a brief 
consultation among themselves, they beat a hasty retreat, 
saying, " we can not tell." And Jesus answering, said 
unto them, neither tell I you by what authority I do these 
things " Then He added the most transparent of all His 
parables : " But what think ye ! A certain inan had two 
sons ; and he came to the first and said, Son, go work to- 
day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not ; 
but afterwards he repented and went. And he came to 



CHEIST AND THE PHARISEES. 621 

the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, 
I go sir ; and went not. Whether of them twain did the 
will of his father ? They say unto Him, The first. Jesus 
saith unto them, Verily, I say unto you, that the publi- 
cans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before 
you. For John came unto you in the way of righteous- 
ness and ye believed him not ; but the publicans and the 
harlots believed him; and ye when ye had seen it, re- 
pented not afterward that ye might believe him." 

Thus our Lord charges home upon them their hypocrisy, 
and shows that their hostility to Himself was without 
excuse. Even the most immoral and infamous classes 
had shown more spiritual discernment and more facility 
in believing, than those who sat in Moses' seat. He 
plainly tells them that the first son represented the pub- 
licans and harlots; and the second, who professed his 
readiness to obey his father, represented themselves. The 
rage of His enemies must have been intense ; but con- 
scious that they were playing a desperate game, and 
knowing that the sympathy of the multitude was as yet 
with Jesus, they kept silence. Bound to the spot as by 
a spell, they listened sullenly to another parable: 

" There was a certain householder which planted a 
vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a wine- 
press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husband- 
men, and went into a far country. And when the time 
of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the hus- 
bandmen, that they might receive the fruits, of it. And 
the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and 
killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other 
servants more than the first, and they did unto them like- 
wise. But last of all, he sent unto them his son, saying, 
They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen 
saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir ; 
come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. 



622 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

And they caught him and cast him out of the vineyard, 
and slew him. When the Lord therefore of the vineyard 
cometh, what will he do to those husbandmen ? They 
say unto Him, He will miserably destroy those wicked 
men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husband- 
men which shall render him the fruits in their seasons." 

Doubtless the priests and Pharisees saw the drift of this 
parable, but they affected unconsciousness. This was in 
effect to pronounce a terrible judgment on themselves, 
which Jesus immediately applies ; — " Did ye never read 
m the Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, 
the same is become the head of the corner: this is the 
Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes ? There- 
fore I say unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken 
from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits 
thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be 
broken ; but on whomsoever it shall fall it shall grind him 
to powder." Thus, then, it became clear, that the vine- 
yard was the kingdom of God ; that the wicked husband- 
men were the Jews, especially the chief priests, elders, and 
rulers ; that the servants of the owner were the prophets; 
and that Jesus Himself, whose murder they were at that 
moment plotting, was the Son. The conclusion was in- 
evitable that the kingdom of God should be taken from 
them and given to others. By these parables, so lucid, so 
obvious, yet so terrible in their application, the enemies 
of Jesus were stung to the quick. They would at once 
have laid hands upon Him, but for fear of the people. 
For the moment they were silenced, and Jesus proceeded 
to utter another parable : 

" The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, 
which made a marriage for his son, and sent forth his ser- 
vants to call them that were bidden to the wedding ; and 
they would not come. And he sent forth other servants, 
saying, Tell them that are bidden, Behold, I have pre- 



CHRIST AND THE PHARISEES. 623 

pared my dinner j my oxen and my failings are killed, 
and all things are ready ; come unto the marriage. But 
they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his 
farm, another to his merchandise. And the remnant took 
his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew 
them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth ; 
and he sent forth his armies and destroyed those mur- 
derers, and burned up their city. Then saith he to his 
servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were 
bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the high- 
ways, and as many as ye shall find, bid unto the marriage. 
So those servants went out into the highways, and gath- 
ered together all as many as they found, both bad and 
good ; and the wedding was furnished with guests. And 
when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a 
man which had not on a wedding garment ; and he saith 
unto him, Friend, how earnest thou in hither, not having 
a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then 
said the king to his servants, Bind him hand and foot, 
and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness ; 
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many 
are called, but few are chosen." 

The kingdom of God is here represented under the 
figure of a marriage feast given by the King (God) to 
His Son (Christ). The guests first invited are the Jewish 
people, to whom John the Baptist, the twelve apostles, and 
the seventy, proclaimed the near approach of the king- 
dom of God. The servants sent forth at supper time to 
announce to the invited guests, that the oxen and fatlings 
were killed and all things were ready, represent the dis- 
ciples who, after the death and resurrection of Christ, 
preached remission of sins in His name, beginning at Je- 
rusalem. The persons who first accepted the invitation 
and then declined the feast, even maltreating and murder- 
ing the servants, represent, of course, the covenant peo- 



624 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

pie, whose destruction is clearly set forth by the sending 
forth of the king's armies to punish the murderers and 
burn their city. The gathering in of chance guests, not 
included in the first invitation, signifies the calling of the 
Gentiles. The wedding garment, freely provided, as the 
parable implies, for all, — is, of course, the righteousness 
of faith, without which none, whether Jew or Gentile, 
shall sit down to the "Marriage Supper of the Lamb." 
Thus again Jesus declares the transference of the king- 
dom of God from the Jews to the Gentiles. The parable 
is mainly prophetic, though it incidentally sets forth the 
fulness and freeness of redemption, and the supreme 
blessedness and glory of those who accept the offer of 
salvation through the sacrifice of Christ. Those who are 
now in the visible church waiting for the coming of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, and for the marriage supper which 
shall inaugurate His glorious kingdom, ought to see to it 
that they have on the wedding garment, even that linen 
clean and white which is the righteousness of saints. 



CHAPTER IV. 
CHUIST AND HIS ENEMIES IN THE TEMPLE. 



insidious question of the sadducees touching the resurrection — 
Christ's answer. 

Matthew xxn. 15-33. Mark xii. 13-27. Luke xx. 26-40. 

Jesus is still in the temple, surrounded by His disciples 
and by an immense multitude. The chief priests and 
elders, the scribes and Pharisees, who had so confidently 
approached Him when He came into the temple, are con- 
founded and crest-fallen; for their ensnaring questions 
have been swept away like spiders' webs, or have served 
only to entangle themselves. They retire temporarily 
from the contest, that they may take secret counsel 
together, probably in the Stone Chamber of the Sanhe- 
drim. Baffled but full of rage, they resolve not to give 
over the policy which they have adopted ; namely, to draw 
from Jesus some utterance which would compromise Him 
with the Roman authorities, or with the people. They 
determine to keep themselves in the background, lest 
their presence should put Him on His guard. They 
therefore select a number of tools from among their dis- 
ciples and from a party, more political than religious, 
called the Herodians. This sect, if it was indeed a sect, 
seems to have been composed of partisans of the Hero- 
dian family. They were undoubtedly Jews who sustained 
the Herodian rule as the main pillar of Jewish nationality, 

and were willing to submit to domestic tyranny rather 
40 



626 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

than succumb to Eoman power and greed. In so far as 
they were opposed to heathen rule, they were allied to 
the Pharisees ; but as partisans of Herod, they must have 
looked with satisfaction on such a compromise between 
the Hebrew faith and the Roman civilization as the princes 
of that house endeavored to maintain. Thus they had 
strong affinities with the Sadducees. Such was the party 
the leaders of which were now called into the conclave 
of Pharisaic conspirators. It was decided to propose to 
Jesus a question having a double aspect, being in fact 
both religious and political. 

Having received their instructions, the chosen ques- 
tioners came to Jesus in the character of sincere in- 
quirers, who were sorely perplexed by a pressing case of 
conscience: "Master, we know that thou art true, and. 
teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for 
any man; for Thou regardest not the person of men. 
Tell us, therefore, what thinkest Thou? Is it lawful to 
give tribute unto Caesar or not ? " It was indeed a peril- 
ous question. Should He say, No, — which was the an- 
swer they expected and wished for, — then the Herodians 
would be witnesses against Him, while the Pharisees 
would be ready as " impartial, honest " people to sustain 
their testimony. Should He say, Yes, — then He would 
compromise Himself with the people, who longed to throw 
off the Roman yoke. How the hypocritical interrogators 
must have quailed under the searching glance of Him 
who needeth not that any should tell Him what is in 
man ! They get their answer — all too soon : "Why tempt 
ye Me, ye hypocrites? Show Me the tribute money. 
They brought Him a penny (denarius). Whose is this 
image and superscription ? They say unto Him, Caesar's. 
Then said He unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar 
the things which are Caesar's ; and to God the things that 
are God's." 






CHKIST AND HIS ENEMIES. 627 



There is in these words, as Stier has remarked, a box 
within a box, a meaning within a meaning. The answer 
of Christ is not evasive, as some have thought, but it is at 
once direct and far-reaching. Two kinds of coin were in 
circulation among the Jews • the imperial money stamped 
with the effigies of Caesar, and the sacred temple-money 
bearing another stamp. When Christ called for the trib- 
ute-money, they brought Him a denarius, which bore the 
image of the reigning emperor, Tiberius. The circulation 
of that particular coin was a proof that the Koman au- 
thority was extended over the Jewish nation ; that Caesar 
had certain dues which the people ought to concede • in a 
word, that tribute ought to be cheerfully yielded. But 
on the other hand the temple-tax must also be cheerfully 
paid; for that was a tribute to God. Doubtless the penny 
represented much more than Caesar's right to tribute ; it 
was a proof of his authority in a certain sphere, limited 
by the paramount authority of God. Jesus therefore de- 
clares that obedience to God and to Caesar are not incom- 
patible, but sustains the authority of both. The limit 
of Caesar's authority is not indeed defined, but it is im- 
plied that the law of God, interpreted by conscience, is in 
all doubtful cases an infallible guide. That which the 
conscience affirms as due to God must not be given to 
Caesar. In this view we quote with pleasure the com- 
ment of Renan : — " By this expression — ■ Render to Caesar 
the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that 
are God's' — Jesus has created something beyond pol- 
itics, a refuge for souls in the midst of the empire of bru- 
tal force The power of the state was limited to 

earth, the soul was enfranchised,- or at least the terrible 
fasces of Roman omnipotence were broken forever." 

When Jesus referred to the image of Caesar on the de- 
narius as an evidence that it belonged to him, it is plainly 
implied that whatever bears the ima^e of God belongs 



628 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

likewise to Him. The penny to Caesar : the soul to God ! 
We can easily believe that the questioners, when they 
heard this answer marvelled and held their peace. Jesus 
was victorious. They were conscious that their subtle 
scheme had miscarried- that their malice had been de- 
tected and exposed. 

All the Jewish parties were in turn to be confounded 
by the calm wisdom and Divine authority of the Master. 
Soon after the Herodians had retired, the Sadducees came 
to Him with what they regarded as a problem insoluble 
except on their own materialistic principles. This aristo- 
cratic sect, glorying in its high culture, its wealth, and its 
freedom from superstition, had hitherto stood aloof from 
Jesus, whom they probably regarded as a Galilean en- 
thusiast. They were of an epicurean temper, and eager 
to enjoy the good things of this world. Denying the 
doctrine of a future life, they professed to practice virtue 
for its own sake; but their moral standard seems to have 
been low, and their religion a dry formalism. They had 
long had a monopoly of the highest dignities of the hie- 
rarchy, and they looked with indolent contempt on all 
deep, spiritual movements among the people. As they 
did not actively persecute our Lord during the greater 
portion of His ministry, they escaped the severe denun- 
ciations which He pronounced against the Pharisees. 

The time had come, however, when this sect was to be 
roused from its lethargy. Jesus had entered the city and 
the temple as a King. He had exercised authority over 
the temple itself. The enthusiasm of the people was 
setting strongly in His favor, and it naturally struck the 
shrewd, worldly leaders of the sect, that nothing could 
prevent a revolution except the taking off of the Galilean 
Prophet. They therefore entered, perhaps reluctantly, 
into the conspiracy against Jesus. Their first appearance 
on the stage was not creditable to their worldly wisdom, 



CHEIST AND HIS ENEMIES. 629 

They hoped to confound our Lord with their clumsy 
dialectics. Attributing to Him certain gross fancies con- 
cerning the mode of existence and the social relations of 
saints after the resurrection, they hoped to perplex and 
silence Him by the following childish problem : " Master, 
Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother 
shall marry his wife, and raise up seed to his brother. 
Now, there were with us seven brethren ; and the first, 
when he had married a wife, deceased; and having no 
issue, left his wife unto his brother. Likewise the second 
also, and the third, unto the seventh. And last of all the 
woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection whose 
wife shall she be of the seven ? for they all had her." 

It is very noticeable that our Lord treats these Saddu- 
cees with extreme gentleness. Far from denouncing them 
as hypocrites, He charges them only with error : " Ye do 
err, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God." 
They thought themselves well versed in the Scriptures, 
especially in the writings of Moses ; but they were now 
told that they had never penetrated beneath the " letter 
which killeth." They felt sure that the doctrine of the 
resurrection was not contained in the Pentateuch; and 
they therefore rejected it; for they attached no authority 
to the oral law, and only a general, secondary authority 
to the prophets. Jesus reproves them for their blindness 
to the inner meaning of the Scriptures. That was the 
cause of their error. We may remark in passing that all 
Sadducean errors of later times may be clearly traced to a 
similar ignorance of the Word of God. Our Lord con- 
tinues : " The children of this world marry and are given 
in marriage ; but they which shall be accounted worthy 
to obtain that world and the resurrection from the dead, 
neither marry nor are given in marriage ; neither can they 
die any more ; for they are equal unto the angels, and are 
the children of God, being the children of the resurrec- 



630 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

tion." While Jesus does not deny an eternal distinction 
of sex — which, for aught that appears, may exist even 
among the angels — He denies such a relation between the 
sexes as is the very condition of human existence in this 
world. That relation implies mortality; for in a world 
without death the law of reproduction will not prevail. 
In that world there will he no marriage. Thus the diffi- 
cult problem of the Sadducees melts into air. It involved 
a gross misconception of society among glorified saints. 

Having thus corrected the error of His interrogators, 
Jesus proceeds to prove that the doctrine of the resur- 
rection was contained " even " in Moses, whose divine le- 
gation and inspiration they acknowledged: — "And as 
touching the dead that they rise, have ye not read in the 
book of Moses, how in the bush, God spake unto him, 
saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, 
and the God of Jacob ? He is not the God of the dead 
but the God of the living ; ye do therefore greatly err." 
The argument turns on the relation between a living, 
personal God and the patriarchs as living persons. God 
had conversed with Abraham as friend with friend ; He 
had entered into covenant with him; He had declared 
Himself Abraham's God. Long after the death of Abra- 
ham, and of Isaac and Jacob, with whom the same cove- 
nant had been renewed, God still called Himself their 
God. " If they no longer lived, if they were annihilated 
as the Sadducees fancied, then the appeal to the promise 
which had been given to them, far from being confirm- 
atory of the faith of Moses and of Israel, was rather a 
bitter irony on the part of God against Himself: 'I who 
have not delivered even those from death!' If the 
words ' I am their God ' are to be understood in any way 
worthy of God, then must the fathers still exist as per- 
sons, as their names indicate, inasmuch as He thus speaks 
of them. The ever-living One must otherwise be truly 



CHKIST AND HIS ENEMIES. 631 

ashamed to be called a God of beings who existed only 
for a short space of time."* "He is not the God of the 
dead but of the living." 

It may strike some readers that the argument of Christ 
proves the continued and endless existence of the soul, 
but has no bearing on the resurrection of the body. It 
may relieve the minds of such readers to consider that 
the resurrection, as set forth in the New Testament, al- 
ways implies that the subject, though dead, is still in 
some sense living. Thus our Saviour in John v. 28, 
speaks of the persons who shall be raised at the last 
day as previously existing : " The hour is coming in 
the which all that are in their graves shall hear His 
voice and shall come forth." So also the famous illus- 
tration of the apostle Paul in I. Corinthians, xv. 35-38, 
implies that the life of the saints who shall be raised in 
incorruption and glory shall never be suspended : " Thou 
fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened except it 
die; and that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that 
body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of 
wheat or of some other grain, but God giveth it a body 
as it hath pleased Him, and to every seed its own body." 
The life of the germ — what may be called the soul of 
the plant — is not destroyed by the decay of its body — 
the kernel of grain to which it belongs — else its devel- 
opment in a new form, its resurrection, would be impossi- 
ble. So, if the souls of the righteous were annihilated at 
death, if no living germ survived the dissolution of the 
body, there could be no resurrection of the same persons. 
On the other hand, the continued though imperfect and 
fragmentary life of the departed is a sure pledge of their 
future resurrection, just as the life of a decaying seed, is 
a promise of its speedy germination and reproduction in 

*Stier, volume 3, page 172. 



632 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

a new body. :: The living God gives by His own power, 
life to His own; but Abraham's soul is not the entire 
Abraham, and without body Abraham is not entirely liv- 
ing." * While therefore the words of Jesus prove beyond 
cavil the reality of a separate state intermediate between 
death and the resurrection, they also imply that souls in 
that state, though they live unto God, are under a certain 
disability and limitation which will cease when as " the 
children of God " they shall rise from the dead, clothed in 
bodies like unto Christ's glorious body. The present state 
of the holy dead is blessed and peaceful ; they sleep in 
Jesus ; and they are conscious of His presence ; but they 
without us can not be made perfect. They wait in earnest 
expectation, for the manifestation of the sons of God, or 
in other words, for the redemption of their bodies. 

The Saclclucees, when they heard this answer of Jesus, 
had nothing to say in reply; but some of the scribes who 
were present, hearing this triumphant vindication of their 
doctrine, forgot for the moment their hostility and ex- 
claimed, "Master, TJwu hast well said!" 

*Steir,. volume 3, page 173. 



CHAPTER V. 

CHKIST AND HIS ENEMIES— CONTINUED. 

JESUS STILL IN THE TEMPLE — THE PHARISEES AGAIN IN COUNCIL — A 
LAWYER IS PUT FORTH TO QUESTION JESUS — THE ANSWER OF CHRIST — 
JESUS QUESTIONS THE PHARISEES CONCERNING THE SOJST OF DAVID- — 
TERRIBLE DENUNCIATIONS OF THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES — THE 
WIDOW'S MITE — CERTAIN GREEKS SEEK AN INTERVIEW WITH JESUS. 

Matthew xxn. 34-46. Mark xn. 28-44. Luke xx. 41-47. Matthew xxin. 1-39. Luke xxra. 1-4. 

John xn. 20-36. 

The Pharisees seem to have been still in council when 
the intelligence was brought them that the Sadducees had 
also been put to silence. They probably heard this with 
mingled exultation and disappointment. They certainly 
did not regret that what they regarded as a fundamental 
error, had been publicly refuted from the Scriptures ; but 
they must have felt uneasy that in this "war of words/' 
Jesus had hitherto overcome all His assailants and put 
them to shame in the presence of the multitude. Their 
main purpose had been completely thwarted; for they 
had not elicited from Him a single utterance tending to 
bring Him into discredit with the people, or furnishing 
ground for a judicial procedure against Him. What was 
next to be done ? The answer of Jesus to the Sadducees 
had contained an exposition of an important passage in the 
Pentateuch, so new and profound, that even the scribes 
had been surprised and delighted. The Pharisees seem to 
have thought, however, that Jesus, an unlearned Galilean, 



634 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

must have stumbled by chance on His interpretation, and 
that if He were further questioned He would not fail to 
betray His ignorance. They therefore put forward a 
certain scribe, distinguished for his profound knowledge 
of the law and therefore called a lawyer ', to test our Lord's 
knowledge and insight. This lawyer answered their pur- 
pose all the better because he was wise, tolerant and can- 
did — a sincere seeker after truth. They probably left 
the form and even the matter of the questioning to him. 
He, having heard the answer which silenced the Sad- 
ducees, brought forward a question of great importance, 
then much agitated among the doctors of the law — 
a question .in which he personally felt a deep interest, 
and on which he hoped Jesus would cast some light: 
"Which is the first commandment of all?" Jesus an- 
swered, " Hear, 0, Israel : The Lord our God is one Lord ; 
and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, 
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all 
thy strength; this is the first commandment. And the 
second is like, namely, this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor 
as thyself; there is none other commandment greater 
than these." Considering that this lawyer was a Phari- 
see, his ready and cordial assent to the answer of Christ, 
and his voluntary declaration that love to God and man 
was "more than whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices," is 
remarkable. Jesus Himself regarded him with special 
interest and said to him, "Thou art not far from the 
kingdom of God." "And in this He intended no more 
and no less than the words conveyed. Had He consid- 
ered an earnest moral striving, such as this man ex- 
pressed, to be sufficient, He would have acknowledged 
him as not only near but in the kingdom of God. He 
tells him, however, that he is on the way to it, because 
he was freed from the Pharisaic delusion of the righteous- 
ness of works, and knew the nature of genuine piety ; 



CHEIST AND HIS ENEMIES — CONTINUED. 635 

and could therefore be more readily convinced of what 
he still lacked of the spirit of the law which he so well 
understood. The conscious need of redemption, thus 
awakened, would lead him to the only source whence 
his wants could be supplied."* 

While this conversation between Christ and the lawyer 
was going on, the Pharisees, having left their conclave, 
were gathered round the speakers. Jesus seized the op- 
portunity to propose a question to them, not surely for 
the purpose of embarrassing them, but rather of suggest- 
ing to the people a higher view of the person of the 
Messiah than they had yet entertained: — "What think 
ye of Christ? Whose Son is He?" The answer was, of 
course, such as He anticipated: "The Son of David." 
Every intelligent Jew knew that the Messiah was to be 
of the lineage of the prophet-king, and was to be born 
at Bethlehem, the ancient seat of the family; but the 
most enlightened of the nation had yet to learn His 
divine and eternal generation. To lead them on to this 
more difficult yet vital conception, Jesus appeals to David 
himself: " How then doth David in spirit call Him Loud, 
saying, the Loed said unto my Loed, Sit Thou on my 
right hand, till I make Thine enemies Thy footstool ? If 
David then call Him Loed, how is He his Son?" 

This question, which none attempted to answer, is the 
question of ages. The wisest and most enlightened Chris- 
tians, during eighteen hundred years, have studied it al- 
most without intermission ; but they have not yet fath- 
omed the " abysmal depths " of Christ's personality or the 
mystery of His incarnation. That He is both the Son of 
David and the Son of God in one person forever, is con- 
fessed by the church catholic in all her creeds ; but how 
it can be, is a deep which no plummet of human reason 

*Neander's "Life of Christ," page 363. 



636 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

has ever sounded. The question as asked by our Lord, 
evinces a full consciousness of His Divine Sonship. He, 
standing there among His enemies, knew that He was 
God manifest in the flesh ; and the calm wisdom with 
which He intimated rather than declared the mighty se- 
cret which He carried in His heart, was altogether god- 
like. Well did He know that His hearers were not pre- 
pared to receive it; but it was His purpose to awaken 
their minds to the great problem. It would seem that 
the multitude showed special pleasure at this stage of 
our Lord's discourse, for Mark tells us that " the common 
people heard Him gladly." But His enemies were speech- 
less with mortification and rage. We picture them as 
eyeing Him askance, from under lowering brows, while 
furtive gestures betrayed their deadly hate. The contest 
of words was now over and they were fully resolved on 
more desperate measures. They felt that it was a death- 
struggle ; Jesus Himself knew that His hour was close at 
hand. And He did not shrink from the crisis. 

It was at this time that He delivered the most terrible 
of His discourses — that in which He painted in such 
awful colors the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees, 
and pronounced upon them a seven-fold woe. Their 
pride, ambition, covetousness, love of applause, and sanc- 
timoniousness ; their long robes, long prayers, broad phy- 
lacteries, and ostentatious tithing of mint, anise and cum- 
min, while they neglected the weightier matters of the 
law, judgment, mercy and faith ; their rapacity in de- 
vouring widows' houses, which they attempted to veil 
under the profession of extraordinary sanctity; their 
proselytizing zeal and their ferocious bigotry, their rigid 
formalism and their hidden wickedness — all the abom- 
inations of this unbelieving, recreant and God-forsaken 
sect, — were declared in language, plain, direct and terri- 
ble, which must have fallen on their ears like the thun- 



CHRIST AND HIS ENEMIES CONTINUED. 637 

ders of the judgment day: — "Woe unto you, scribes, 
Pharisees, hypocrites ! because ye build the tombs of the 
prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, 
and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we 
would not have been partakers with them in the blood 
of the prophets. Wherefore, ye be witnesses unto your- 
selves that ye are the children of them which killed the 
prophets. Fill ye up then, the measure of your fathers. 
Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape 
the damnation of hell ? Wherefore, behold I send you 
prophets, and wise men, and scribes ; and some of them 
ye shall kill and crucify, and some of them ye shall 
scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from 
city to city; that upon you may come all the righteous 
blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous 
Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, the son of Barachias, 
whom ye slew between the porch and the altar. Verily 
I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this 
generation. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the 
prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how 
often would I have gathered thy children together, even 
as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye 
would not ! Behold your house is left unto you desolate. 
For I say unto you, Ye shall not see Me henceforth, till 
ye shall say, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of 
the Lord." 

Thus Jesus pronounced judgment on the scribes and 
Pharisees, the priests and rulers, the city and nation, and 
even on the temple itself. It was an awful voice — a voice 
of seven thunders ; but it was broken with sobs of infi- 
nite pity. u 0, Jerusalem ! Jerusalem ! " — what a lament 
was that ! Though Jesus in these words bade farewell to 
the temple, He did not immediately leave it. "He no 
more hurried away from the temple now than He subse- 
quently hurried away from the grave when He awoke to 



638 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

new life. There He first placed the grave-clothes in 
order, and laid them on one side quietly ; and here He 
sat down for a little time in the forecourt of the women, 
opposite the boxes for offerings which belonged to the 
temple treasury." * Here He saw the people casting in 
their offerings. The rich — from all parts of the Holy 
Land, from distant countries — made large oblations. Few 
Jews in that age were niggardly towards the house of 
God. Among the multitude a female in widow's weeds 
glided up to the treasury and cast in two mites. Little 
did she know whose eyes were upon her. But Jesus 
"called unto Him His disciples, and said unto them, 
Yerily, I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in 
more than they all. For all these have of their abun- 
dance cast in unto the offerings of God ; but she of her 
penury hath cast in all the living that she had." This 
commendation implies that the widow had not only given 
more than the others in proportion to her ability; but 
that her oblation was more precious because it proceeded 
from a heart full of love and faith. She offered to God 
her little all, and herself. Let us hope that she heard 
the gracious words of Christ, and went to her lowly home 
with a heart relieved of every burden, cheered and com- 
forted. 

Another incident, narrated by " that disciple whom Jesus 
loved," may well have taken place at this time. Among 
the thousands of strangers who thronged the courts of the 
temple during this Passover week, were not a few of Gen- 
tile blood, who had either joined themselves to the cove- 
nant people by submitting to circumcision, or embraced 
the Jewish religion without renouncing their nationality. 
These last were called proselytes of the gate ; and many 
of them were devout worshipers of the true God, who 

*Lange's " Life of Christ," volume 4, page 97. 



CHRIST AND HIS ENEMIES — CONTINUED. 639 

frequented the synagogues abroad, and sometimes pre- 
sented themselves with their offerings at the temple in 
Jerusalem. Some of this class were present during this 
exciting week. Whether they had heard of Jesus pre- 
vious to their coming we know not ; but what they now 
witnessed excited not only curiosity but a deeper interest. 
They were Greeks, and had probably been led to embrace 
Judaism because of their dissatisfaction with the moral 
emptiness and impurity of their own religion. There 
was, however, an element in that religion which, in a 
certain degree, qualified them to understand the truth of 
the incarnation. It assumed that the gods were like 
men, only more grand and beautiful ; and that men were 
made in the likeness of gods. Nay ; it asserted that gods 
had become men and left on the earth a divine-human 
progeny; and that men had become gods. The Greek 
divinities were represented by statues in which humanity 
was idealized and invested with divine loveliness. With 
this image and prophecy of the incarnation the Greek 
religion stopped. That God was to be manifest in the 
flesh, a Greek who had embraced monotheism would more 
readily believe than a Jew ; but that the incarnate God 
would redeem the world through suffering and death was 
quite alien to the Hellenic mind. The reader will bear 
this in mind, while considering this important incident. 

These Greeks, desiring to see Jesus, requested Philip 
of Bethsaida, — perhaps, because he spoke their language, 
possibly because they had previously known him, certainly 
because he was in the confidence of Jesus, — to bring 
about an interview. Why Philip should have thought it 
necessary to consult Andrew does not appear. Probably 
they doubted whether such a public conference with Gen- 
tiles would be agreeable to their Master. However, they 
brought the request of the strangers to Jesus, and we 
can scarcely doubt that it was granted. He comprehended 



640 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

the full significance of this event. The Gentile world ap- 
proached Him, in fitting representatives, at the very crisis 
of His ministry; and this was a token that that world 
would, at no distant day, be white unto the harvest. 
That harvest, however, could not be matured and gathered 
in till the seed from which it was to grow should fall into 
the earth and die. The life of the world was to spring 
out of death. If the fulness of the Gentiles was almost 
ready to be offered, then His sufferings and death were 
just at hand. Hence this was a moment not only of sol- 
emn joy, but also of mental distress and anguish. " The 
life of God in Him did not exclude the uprising of human 
feelings, in view of the sufferings that lay before Him, 
but only kept them in their proper limits. Not by un~ 
humanizing Himself, but by subordinating the human to 
the Divine was He to realize the ideal of pure human 
virtue ; He was to be a perfect example for men, even in 
the struggles of human weakness." * 

Probably it was when the Greeks were introduced, that 
Jesus said, " The hour is come that the Son of man should 
be glorified. Yerily, I say unto you, Except a corn of 
wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone ; but 
if it die it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his 
life shall lose it ; and he that hateth his life in this world, 
shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve Me, let 
him follow Me; and where I am, there shall also My 
servant be: if any man shall serve Me, him will My 
Father honor. Now is my soul troubled ; and what shall 
I say ? Father , save me from this hour f But for this 
cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify Thy 
Name ! " Scarcely had Jesus uttered this prayer, when 
a voice fell from heaven, which, audible to all, conveyed 
to some an articulate response : " I have both glori- 

*Neander's "Life of Christ," page 376. 



CHEIST AND HIS ENEMIES CONTINUED. 641 

FIED IT, AND WILL GLORIFY IT AGAIN." Twice before 

had the same voice attested the Divine Sonship of Jesus, 
once at Bethabara, and once on the Mount of Transfig- 
uration. It was fitting that the same voice should be 
heard in the temple, at the moment of our Lord's depart- 
ure. Some who heard the sound, without distinguishing 
the words, said that it thundered ; others recognizing ar- 
ticulate speech but not apprehending the sense, said that 
an angel spoke to Him. Others, by a supernatural in- 
fluence, were enabled to understand both the words and 
the sense* Jesus Himself explained its design in solemn 
and memorable words, the last He ever uttered in the 
temple : — " This voice came not because of Me, but for 
your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world ; now 
shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be 
lifted up, will draw all men unto Me. (This He said, sig- 
nifying what death He should die.) The people answered 
Him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth 
forever ; and how sayest Thou, The Son of man must be 
lifted up ? Who is this Son of man ? Then Jesus said 
unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk 
while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you ; 
for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he 
goeth. While ye have the light believe in the light, that 
ye may be the children of the light." 

Our Lord does not answer the question of the people ; 
for that question originated in a misconception which only 
His death and resurrection could remove. But He looked 
upon them with sadness and pity, and gave them whole- 
some counsel and warning. "Do not now ask captious 
and ill-timed questions; but improve the last beams of 



*I regard the miracle as twofold — an external phenomenon, and the in- 
ternal or subjective interpretation of that phenomenon. See Neander and 
Lange in loco. 
41 



642 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

the declining sun to find the way in which you ought to 
walk. The night is at hand : woe to the traveler who 
idles away the few golden moments which yet remain. I 
am the Light ; do not cavil but believe ; so you shall not 
walk in darkness in the night which is soon to fall upon 
you." Probably Jesus alluded to the fact that the natural 
day was now far spent, and the shadows of the evening 
were at hand. So the day of His earthly life and of His 
ministry was about to close ; the Light of the world was, 
in a certain sense, about to set ! A dark, dark night was 
already casting its gloom over the temple, the city, the 
nation, the world. Thus Jesus departed from the temple, 
never to return. The holy and beautiful house was left 
desolate. 









CHAPTER VI. 

THE PROPHETIC DISCOURSE. 



JESUS LEAVES THE TEMPLE — SURVEYS ITS STONES AND STRUCTURES — 
PREDICTS THE UTTER DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE, THE CITY, AND 
THE THEOCRACY — THE END OP THE WORLD — DISCOURSE ON THE 
MOUNT OF OLIVES. 

Matthew xxiv-xxv. Makk xni. Luke xxi. 5-36. 



When Jesus was leaving the temple the disciples, 
having in mind His prophecy (Luke xix. 43, 44, Mat- 
thew t xxiii. 38, 39,) touching the utter destruction of the 
city and desolation of the temple, called His attention 
to the immense stones, of the whitest marble, of which 
the sacred structures were built, and to the votive gifts 
with which they were adorned. The temple proper, sur- 
rounded with its courts, cloisters and oat-buildings, was- 
the admiration even of those who had seen the archi- 
tectural glories of Rome and Athens. Some of the stones 
were forty-five cubits long, five high and six broad. To 
the disciples, the temple seemed built for eternity. Its 
total demolition was inconceivable. "Master," said one, 
" See what manner of stones and what buildings are here ! " 
" Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great 
buildings ? there shall not be left one stone upon another, 
that shall not be thrown down." 

The disciples must have heard these words with amaze- 
ment. Such a destruction of the temple, as they well 
knew, would involve the ruin of the city, the nation, the 



644 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

theocracy — in a word — the whole existing order of things 
under the old covenant. Nay, they evidently understood 
this prophecy as pointing to the destruction of the world 
itself. Sadly, therefore, they followed their Master over 
the brook Kedron, and up the steep ascent of Olivet. 
When they approached the point where the temple and 
the city could be surveyed to the best advantage, Jesus 
turned aside and sat down on the mountain. The holy 
and beautiful house lay just opposite, its marble walls 
and glittering roof kindled into flame by the setting sun. 
Doubtless He gazed with mournful tenderness on His Fa- 
ther's house and on the city of the great King, doomed to 
a destruction so fearful. There prophets and kings had 
lived, desiring to see His day, but had died without seeing 
it. There the blood of many saints had been shed ; and 
there He Himself was about to be condemned and crucified. 
The end was come ; His baptism was about to be accom- 
plished ; but He gazed on the city where His engnies 
were at that moment plotting His murder, with pity and 
sorrow. 

While He was thus sitting, four of His disciples, Peter 
and Andrew, James and John, came to Him privately, — 
their fellow-disciples having probably continued their walk 
to Bethany. "Tell us," they said, "when shall these things 
be ? And what shall be the signs of thy coming, and of 
the end of the world?" Let us endeavor to occupy their 
stand-point; to enter into their circle of ideas; to com- 
prehend their views concerning the kingdom of God, and 
the coming of the Lord as related to that kingdom, to the 
destruction of Jerusalem, and to the end of the world. It 
is evident that their ideas were confused, and their 
expectations vague. They saw that according to the 
Prophet Zechariah, awful judgments on Jerusalem were 
to be poured out at the time of the Messiah's personal 
appearing to set up His kingdom ; but they knew nothing 



THE PROPHETIC DISCOURSE. 645 

of a dispensation to intervene between the destruction 
of the temple and His coming. They naturally looked 
for the glory in close connection with the judgment. 
They did not understand the death and resurrection of 
Jesus; but expected His personal manifestation — His 
glorious appearing, — without His dying. They therefore 
asked when the judgment should be executed, and what 
precursors of His glorious coming would be given. 

Our Lord, in His reply, as His way ever was, gave 
to His discourse an eminently practical character. He 
sought to guard them against the temptations and perils 
to which they would be exposed, rather than to satisfy 
their curiosity by mapping out the future with chrono- 
logical precision. And there w^ere many things at that 
time, when the Spirit was not yet given, concerning which 
He could not speak to them plainly ; the great scheme 
of the divine purposes they were as yet unable to com- 
prehend. He Himself foresaw the speedy overthrow of 
that dispensation, and the approach of another, at the 
close of which His coming in power and glory should 
take place. He knew, too, that the Jewish dispensation 
was typical of the Christian, and that the events pre- 
ceding the overthrow of the former, would foreshow 
what should come to pass in the last days of the latter. 
Our Lord therefore constructed His discourse on the prin- 
ciple of spiritual perspective, by which all prophetic ut- 
terances have a largeness of meaning, reaching beyond 
the foreground into the distance of the remote future. 
Lord Bacon's principle of a " springing and germinant ful- 
fillment" is especially applicable to this discourse. Jesus 
undoubtedly spoke of the events of that time — otherwise 
He gave no answer to the questions of the disciples ; but 
His words also swept all the ages, down to the consumma- 
tion of all things. While, in the earlier part of the dis- 
course, the ending of the Jewish dispensation is especially 



646 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

prominent, the words employed are, on the principle just 
stated, applicable also to the ending of the Christian age. 

He begins by warning the disciples against spiritual 
seducers who would come in His name, saying, I am 
Christ. He tells them that before the end, they would 
witness fearful agitations of nature, such as earthquakes 
in divers places; that dreadful sufferings would result 
from famines and pestilences ; that there would be great 
commotions in human society, nation rising against na- 
tion, and kingdom against kingdom ; and that desolating 
wars would sweep over the earth; that there would be 
bloody persecutions, marked by apostasy, treachery, and 
cruel massacres ; that lawlessness would abound, and that 
in consequence the love of many would grow cold ; and 
that all this would be but the beginning of sorrows. He 
speaks of long-continued trials and judgments ; but He 
warns them that the end is not yet. All these things 
would precede His coming; all these things would he 
tokens of the approaching end of the world. It ought to 
be noted, that thus far our Lord has only specified such 
calamities and judgments as have marked the history of 
the world in every age and in all lands. He has spoken 
of those phenomena of nature, and those manifestations 
of human depravity, which are in themselves indications 
of the instability of the present order of things, and 
therefore signs of the end of the world. This part of 
the discourse corresponds to the travail and groaning of 
the creation, and to the shaking of the heavens and earth 
spoken of by the apostle Paul as signs of the new birth 
of the universe, and the establishment of an indestructible 
kingdom.* 

Our Lord now goes on to speak of the judgments 
which should come on Jerusalem and the Jewish nation, 

* Romans viii. 18-25 ; Hebrews xii. 26-28. 



THE PROPHETIC DISCOURSE. 647 

These He places among the precursors of His coming; 
though He nowhere intimates that He would come at the 
time of the destruction which He foretells in such graphic 
and impressive language. What the prophet Daniel had 
foretold, the standing of the abomination of desolation 
in the Holy Place, and the encompassing of the city with 
camps and armies, should be a warning to the disciples to 
flee to the mountains. This flight was to be made in the 
greatest haste, to escape the most terrible affliction which 
ever had been, or should ever be. The third time, and 
with still greater urgency, does the Lord warn His people 
against false christs and false prophets, who should work 
great signs and wonders to draw men into the wilderness, 
or into the secret chambers, to find Him. Against these 
snares and perils He gives them this safeguard, that the 
coming of the Son of man would be as lightning which 
cometh from the east and shine th unto the west. It will 
be no secret coming to a place on the earth to which men 
may retire, but quick, sudden, unannounced, — flashing in 
its brightness from one end of heaven to the other. He 
says to the disciples, in effect, Give no heed to those who 
tell you that I have already come secretly ; for you will 
have no need of any message to apprise you of My ad- 
vent You will rejoin Me by no process of earthly jour- 
neying - for as the eagles fly from far to the carcass, so 
you will be caught away from the earth to meet Me at 
My coming. He did not say when this should be, but He 
set forth the manner of His advent, to guard them against 
deceivers pretending that Christ had already come. 

This brings us down to Matthew xxiv. 29: "Immedi- 
ately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be 
darkened," etc. Turning to Luke, we find several addi- 
tional particulars given, which throw great light on the 
order of events : " For there shall be great distress in the 
land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by 



648 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into 
all nations, and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the 
Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And 
then shall there be signs in the sun, and in the moon, 
and in the stars," etc.* Here it is distinctly declared that 
the "tribulation of those days" should continue during 
the dispersion of the Jews, and the desecration of the 
Holy City by Gentile feet. The " times of the Gentiles "— 
the Gentile-Christian dispensation — must be accomplished 
previous to the coming of the Son of man. Between the 
twenty-ninth verse of Matthew xxiv. and the preceding 
part of the chapter, there comes in the present prophetic 
period, marked by the rejection of the Jews and the 
preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles. Jesus had al- 
ready (verse 14,) declared that before His advent, the 
gospel should be preached in all the world, for a witness 
unto all nations. 

The word rendered "immediately" {quickly, ,)t bridges 
over the chasm between the endings of the two dispen- 
sations. Soon after the great tribulation, certain signs 
shall be seen in heaven. Such expressions must be un- 
derstood in a large sense, according to the usage of 
prophecy. In a later part of this very discourse our Lord 
declares that the time of His coming was unknown, not 
only to men and angels, but also to the Son Himself; and 
He distinctly intimates, in a series of parables, that there 
would be what men would regard as a long delay. Yet 
He spoke of His coming as always near, as at hand, as at 
the door ; and He commanded His disciples to watch for 
it, as an event always imminent. "Surely, I come quickly" 
was the last word of the ascended Lord to His church, — 
a word spoken at the close of the Apocalypse which had 
disclosed a long series of events to precede His advent. 

Luke xxi. 23-25. f Matthew xxiv. 29. 



THE PROPHETIC DISCOURSE. 649 

This word u immediately" expresses, therefore, a prophetic 
consciousness of time, in which remote events are realized 
as close at hand, or really present ; but they are not in- 
tended to set up an exact chronological standard. The 
signs specified are those which shall be seen before the 
judgment on the christian apostasy as described in the 
Apocalypse, at the opening of the sixth seal. They will 
probably be both physical and spiritual ; spiritual first, as 
addressed to a spiritual people, able to discern the signs 
of the times ; afterwards physical, to strike the senses of 
the world. The sign of the Son of man, which will be 
seen in heaven, just as the Lord Himself is about to ap- 
pear, is probably that cloud of glory in which He will 
come, and into which He will gather His risen and glori- 
fied saints. This glory in mid-heaven will be awful and 
appalling to the nations. Then shall the judgment angels, 
with a great sound of a trumpet, gather together His elect 
from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 
Thus our Lord has sketched, in prophetic style, the 
whole period from the time of His crucifixion to that of 
His second coming. He has set forth the signs of His 
appearing, but He has not answered the question, when 
these things should be. For aught the disciples knew 
from His words, He might come in a few years, or a few 
centuries. Returning now to their question, (Matthew 
xxiv. 32-36,) He does indeed give them a note of time, 
but rather to the spiritual sense than to the intellect: 
" Now learn a parable of the fig-tree ; When her branch 
is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that 
summer is nigh. So likewise ye, when ye see all these 
things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily, 
I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till 
all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall 
pass away ; but my words shall not pass away. But of 
that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the 



650 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the 
Father." These words are perplexing only to those who 
do not really read them. As the swelling buds and 
opening leaves of the fig-tree were a sign that summer 
was near, (not already come,) so the events which our 
Lord had foretold as the precursors of His coming, were 
to be a sign that it (His coming) was near. Those 
events therefore did not include His coming ; but when 
the disciples saw " these things " they were to look for 
"it." Lest, however, they should understand Him as 
speaking with chronological precision, He adds that the 
exact time was known only to the Father. When Jesus 
said that that generation should not pass away till all 
those things should be fulfilled, He did not say that His 
coming should take place within the life-time of that 
generation, but that the signs of it should appear. He 
did not say that the summer should come, but that the 
fig-tree should bud. No doubt the budding of the fig-tree 
should be speedily followed by the summer; but as there 
is sometimes an anomalous season, in which the untimely 
frosts of spring long retard the summer, so the advent 
of the Lord and His reign — the glorious summer of 
the universe, — may be delayed by the unbelief or apos- 
tasy of the visible church. The Bridegroom can not 
come till the Bride shall have made herself ready. 

What that generation saw was the signs of the Lord's 
coming. Every cycle of those signs — agitations of ma- 
terial nature, disturbances and overturnings in human so- 
ciety, the persecution of the saints, the appearance of false 
christs and false prophets, the destruction of the Holy City, 
of the temple, and of the Jewish nationality, the great 
tribulation in its first terrible blows — all was fulfilled 
ere some who heard the prophecy passed off the stage. 
But they did not see the whole course of the Gentile 
dispensation, and the events attending its winding up. 



THE PROPHETIC DISCOURSE. 651 

They did not see the sign of the Son of man in heaven ; 
they did not see Him coming in power and glory. 

Our Lord next charges the disciples to be watchful He 
tells them that His advent would come upon the world as 
suddenly as the flood in the time of Noah. "As a snare 
shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the 
whole earth. Watch ye, therefore, and pray always, that 
ye may be accounted worthy to escape all those things that 
shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." * 
Next follows a solemn admonition to the rulers of the 
church. While the servant who puts far off his Lord's 
coming, and is therefore a spiritual tyrant, or a self-indul- 
gent reveler, shall be fearfully punished, the faithful and 
wise servant shall be set over all his Master's inheritance. 

Having thus spoken of the judgment on the rulers, 
Jesus proceeds to speak of the church as a body. The 
difference between the wise and foolish was not that some 
were genuine Christians and the others hypocrites ; but 
that the wise had received a full supply of the Holy 
Spirit, while the foolish had not sought such a supply, 
thinking that they needed only the grace necessary for a 
religious life. They had oil in their lamps, but no oil in 
their vessels for their lamps ; so that when the demand 
arose for an extra quantity they were destitute. The par- 
able implies that over and above the operations of the 
Spirit in the production of faith and a righteous life, 
there was need of special grace to prepare them for the 
Lord's coming. " Go ye to them that sell and buy for 
yourselves." They were not forever excluded from the 
kingdom of God, but their lack of instant preparation 
subjected them to temporary sorrow and shame. 

Next follows the parable of the Talents, which teaches 
the right use of spiritual gifts, and the sin of neglecting 

*Luke xxi. 25, 26. 



:•:- trz lit : - > 

to improTe them. Our Lord having thus shown the 
judgment on the church and its rulers, at His coming. 
goes on to speak of His judgment on the nation Z 
parable of the sheep and goats, (a parable only ir the 
imagery of the opening sentences, i sets forth the princi- 
ples on which God will judge the nations that shall be 
alive at His coming. This premillennial judgment, how- 
t - . in accordance with the law of prophetic perspective 
already alluded i . : -poken of as the type of the final 
judgment of all mankind, when the wicked shall be sen! 
t into everlasting punishment and the righteous re- 
warded with life eternal. 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE CONSPIRATORS AND THE TRAITOR. 

FEELING OF JEWISH LEADERS — ANNAS AND CAIAPHAS — SECRET MEETING 
OF THE SANHEDRIM — JUDAS ISCARIOT — HE COVENANTS TO BETRAY 

JESUS. 

Matthew xxvi. 1-5; 14-16. Mark xiv. 1-3; 10, 11. Luke xxii. 1-6. 

Aftee Jesus left the temple and went to the Mount of 
Olives, His enemies, wrought up to the highest pitch of 
rage by His terrible rebukes, felt the need of immediate 
action. During the last few weeks a series of events had 
occurred which left them no alternative but to concede 
the claims of Jesus or put Him out of the way. The 
raising of Lazarus had been followed by the public proc- 
lamation of our Lord as the Christ; by His triumphal 
entry into the city amidst the shouts of the people and 
the hosannas of the children ; by His expulsion of the 
buyers and sellers from the sacred courts of the temple ; 
and by those thunder-claps of denunciation which fell 
upon their ears like the voice of doom. They felt that 
the power of the hierarchy, if not its very existence, was 
menaced. Perhaps, too, there were those among them 
who, while comparatively indifferent to religious questions, 
were anxious touching the relations of the nation to the 
Romans. Such persons might view the great religious 
movement of which Jesus was the head, with genuine 
alarm. He was widely proclaimed as a king, and though 
He declared that His kingdom was spiritual, perhaps 



654 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

they distrusted His sincerity ; they certainly knew the 
tendency of every such movement to social and civil 
revolution ; and, in any case, they had no reason to be- 
lieve that their Roman masters would be careful to dis- 
criminate between a purely spiritual kingship and one 
that threatened political convulsion and war. 

There were living, at that time, a few men of eminent 
political sagacity, belonging to the highest rank, who 
made it their chief study to secure the favor of the 
Romans, without exposing themselves to the hatred of 
their own countrymen. They had a difficult game to 
play, and for many years they played it with extraor- 
dinary skill and success. Two men of this description 
become conspicuous figures in this part of our history; 
Annas, or Ananus, and his son-in-law, Joseph Caiaphas, 
the high priest of whom we have already spoken. The 
former, who was the son of one Seth, had more than 
twenty years before been appointed high priest by Qui- 
rinus, the imperial governor of Syria; but after hold- 
ing the office some seven years, was removed by Valerius 
Gratus, procurator of Judea, to make room for a certain 
Ishmael, who after a short period was succeeded by Simon 
the son of Annas. After a brief administration, Simon 
gave place to his brother-in-law, Caiaphas, who was ele- 
vated to the high priesthood about A. D. 25., not long 
before our Lord entered on His public ministry. Annas, 
during all these changes, seems to have retained the title 
of High Priest, and with the title the substance of the 
power belonging to the office. He was a man of great 
force of character, and a shrewd, experienced politician. 
It was his interest to keep things as they were, to prevent 
popular agitations, and to avoid whatever might give of- 
fense or ground of suspicion to the Romans. He had 
probably kept aloof from Jesus until now, perhaps regard- 
ing Him as a harmless Galilean enthusiast whose career 



THE CONSPIRATORS AND THE TRAITOR. 655 

would soon terminate of itself; but now he thought the 
time had come for him to interfere. It was a rare oppor- 
tunity to show his fidelity to his Roman masters, and at 
the same time to gratify the blood-thirsty fanaticism of 
the Pharisees, who were determined that Jesus should die. 
Caiaphas seems to have been the crafty and zealous tool 
of his father-in-law, and stood ready to execute all his 
plans. Annas, more than any other man, was master of 
the situation. 

When our Lord left the temple, as has been narrated, 
and went to the Mount of Olives, the members of the San- 
hedrim, of which Caiaphas was president, were summoned 
to an extraordinary conclave, not in the council-chamber, 
on the temple-mount, but at the palace of Caiaphas. 
Where this was situated is by no means certain. Tradi- 
tion locates it on the Mount of Offense, a little south-east 
of the city, where the ruins of the house of Caiaphas are 
still shown. The tradition can not be traced to early 
times ; but it is a curious fact that the tomb of Annas 
has been discovered in the same neighborhood. While it 
is unquestionable that the high priest had a palace in Je- 
rusalem, it is not unlikely that he had a country house 
within easy distance, where he usually resided. Such a 
house would be especially eligible as a place for secret 
consultation. For the purpose of gaining a vivid impres- 
sion of what took place at this meeting we may well as- 
sume that tradition, on this particular point, has not erred. 

Let us picture to ourselves the events of this memora- 
ble evening. Soon after Jesus left the temple and crossed 
the brook Kedron, the members of the Sanhedrim, one 
after another, passed out of the same gate, but soon turned 
from the road up the Mount of Olives to the right, and 
ascended a hill which lay further to the south — a hill then 
covered with villas and gardens, now with ruins. Jesus 
therefore sat on the Mount of Olives at the same time 



656 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

that His enemies were plotting His death on the neigh- 
boring eminence. How to accomplish their purpose with- 
out creating a tumult among the people was the problem. 
Jerusalem was full of people who had come up to attend 
the feast; and among the multitude were many of Christ's 
own disciples from Galilee. To arrest Him in public would 
endanger the peace of the city, and thus offend the Ko- 
man authorities. The essential condition of success in 
their horrible conspiracy was, that the blow should be 
secret and sudden, that Jesus should be seized while in 
seclusion, and if possible in the night, and that His death 
should follow swiftly on His condemnation. The Pass- 
over was at hand ; only one more day would elapse before 
the feast; it seemed on many accounts undesirable that 
He should be put to death on the great day of the feast ; 
and there scarcely seemed to be time to bring it about 
sooner. They had not reached any definite conclusion 
when their conference was interrupted by a most un- 
looked-for arrival. 

Judas Iscariot had become gradually alienated from 
Jesus ; and he had been more conscious than ever, since 
the anointing at the house of Simon, that Jesus thoroughly 
understood his character. What his views were when he 
first became a disciple is doubtful. It is difficult to be- 
lieve that he was at that time hostile to Jesus. It is on 
the other hand probable that, having witnessed our Lord's 
miracles, he really believed in His Messiahship ; and that, 
for a considerable period, he confidently expected to see 
Him ascend the "throne of David. But his views of the 
kingdom of Christ were carnal and worldly; and as the 
character and aims of Christ became more clearly devel- 
oped, as the spiritual nature of His reign became more 
and more pronounced, and as the breach between Him 
and the visible theocracy became wider and wider, Judas, 
disappointed and perplexed, grew disaffected towards his 



THE CONSPIRATORS AND THE TRAITOR. 657 

Master. When at length it became clear that Jesus read 
the secrets of his heart, that He had detected his master- 
passion, avarice, and more than suspected him of the 
shameful sin of theft, he was filled with shame and fear, 
which speedily passed into hatred. His dark, ferocious 
nature, impelled him to seek revenge. He became pos- 
sessed with one terrible idea, that Jesus must die. He 
was hurried along by a sort of demoniac fury. The voice 
of conscience was drowned; his heart was turned to 
stone ; all remembrance of the mighty works and gracious 
words and innocent life of his Master was, for the mo- 
ment, obliterated ; and he abandoned himself to the Sa- 
tanic influence by which he was swept away. But even 
in the tempest of his rage, his ruling passion asserted its 
power. Determined as he was to betray the Lord, he re- 
solved, if possible, to sell his treason for money. 

Judas had kept his eye on the enemies of Jesus ; he 
had watched their movements, and by force of sympathy 
had penetrated their designs. He knew that the crisis 
was at hand ; and it is not unlikely that he had seen the 
members of the Sanhedrim, singly or in groups, on their 
way to the house of Caiaphas. We conjecture that after 
Jesus and the four disciples turned off from the road to 
Bethany to ascend the Mount of Olives, Judas, detaching 
himself from the other apostles, turned to the right and 
ascended the Mount of Offense. Presenting himself at 
the door of the High Priest's house, he was admitted. 
His appearance, when it was known that he was an 
apostle of the Nazarene, doubtless made a sensation. But 
when he said to them, " What will ye give me, and I will 
deliver Him unto you?" — they were filled with glad sur- 
prise. As his demands were moderate, there was but 
little haggling about the price. " They covenanted with 
him for thirty pieces of silver." 

42 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE PASSOVER. 

THE PREPARATION — THE SUPPER. 

Matthew xxvi. 17-35. Mark xiv. 12-31. Luke xsn. 7-38. Johjt xra. 1-38. 

We have brought down the history of our Lord to the 
close of the third day (Tuesday) of Passion Week. At 
the close of His discourse on the Mount of Olives, He 
probably retired to the house of His friends in Bethany. 
The next day, Wednesday, seems to have been spent in 
seclusion. The inspired record has drawn a veil over that 
day which we shall not attempt to raise. On Thursday 
the disciples asked Him where they should prepare the 
Passover feast. On the afternoon of that day, " between 
the evenings," that is to say, from an hour or two before 
sunset till dark, the paschal lamb was to be killed ; and 
as yet, it seems, the Master had given no order touching 
the place, or the needful preparation. Now, however, 
He directed Peter and John to go into the city, instruct- 
ing them when they should meet a man bearing a pitcher 
of water, to follow him to his house, and say, " The Mas- 
ter saith unto thee, Where is the guest-chamber, where I 
shall eat the Passover with My disciples?" It seems 
probable that Jesus had intimated His purpose to one of 
His disciples in Jerusalem — Joseph of Arimathea, per- 
haps, or Nicodemus — to celebrate the feast at his house ; 
but His directions to the two disciples evince a super- 
natural prevision, like that displayed in the preparations, 
a few days before, for His triumphal entry. Peter and 



THE PASSOVER. 659 

John found everything as was predicted ; and they made 
ready the Passover. 

In order that we may understand the events of this 
memorable evening, it is requisite that the design of the 
Passover feast, and the mode of its celebration, should be 
briefly explained. The institution of the Passover is re- 
corded in Exodus xii. The Israelites were ready to leave 
the land of their long and bitter bondage. The Egyp- 
tians had been appalled and crushed by a terrible series 
of judgments, now about" to culminate in the simultaneous 
destruction of their first-born. On the tenth of the 
month Abib, every Hebrew householder was to select a 
lamb, or a kid, without spot or blemish, and on the four- 
teenth, at evening, the animal was to be slain. The blood 
was to be sprinkled, with hyssop, on the door-posts, as a 
sign to the destroying angel that the household was un- 
der divine protection. The lamb was to be roasted whole, 
care being taken not to break a bone. It was then to be 
eaten by the people standing, with girded loins, with shoes 
on their feet and staves in their hands. The bread was 
to be unleavened, and was to be eaten with bitter herbs. 

While the substance of this festival was perpetuated, 
the mode of celebrating it was afterwards considerably 
modified. The use of hyssop, the sprinkling of the door- 
posts with blood, the standing posture, the girding of the 
loins, the staves, etc., were omitted- and the following 
mode of observance was ordained: — On the fourteenth 
day of the month Nisan, every house was to be purged 
of every vestige of leaven. Every male, not ceremoni- 
ally unclean, was to appear before the Lord at the na- 
tional sanctuary, and present an offering of money in 
proportion to his ability. As the sun was setting the 
lamb was to be slain, and the blood and fat given to 
the priests. The lamb was then to be roasted whole, 
and eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. No 



660 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

portion was to be left till the morning; but the bones 
and tendons were to be utterly consumed with fire. The 
same night, the fat was to be burned by the priest and 
the blood sprinkled on the altar. It was ordained that 
the next day, — or as the Jews reckoned time, the same 
day, after the night was passed, — there should be a holy 
convocation, signalized by special sacrifices, and more 
joyous festivities. It was on this day that the harvest 
was consecrated by the waving of the first sheaf before 
the Lord. In process of time the entire week became 
one great Passover feast, and was popularly so called. 

In the time of Christ the above order was substan- 
tially observed. The lamb, having been slain at the 
temple, was roasted whole ; the unleavened bread and 
bitter herbs were placed on the table, around which 
the company sat or reclined, the master of the household 
taking the place of honor. All things being in readiness, 
the fiest cup of wixe was filled and a blessing was 
asked on the feast. The bitter herbs were then eaten, 
and the unleavened bread was handed round. Then the 
second cup was filled, and the head of the family, in 
response to a prescribed question,* explained the mean- 
ing of the feast, gave an account of the sufferings of the 
Israelites in Egypt and of their deliverance, with a par- 
ticular explanation of Deuteronomy xxvi. 5. The first 
part of the Hallel (Psalms cxiii., cxiv.) having been sung, 
the lamb was placed on the table, carved and eaten. 
Then followed the third cup of wine, and soon after 
the fourth. The feast was then concluded by singing 
the second part of the Hallel, (Psalms cxv. to cxviii.) t 

The significance of the Passover, as a type, is most im- 
portant. It carried a twofold aspect ; — : it was both sad and 

* Exodus xii. 26. 

t This account of the Passover is condensed from the learned article in 
Smith's Bible Dictionary. 



THE PASSOVER. 661 

joyous; it Ibore the reminiscence of a fearful doom and of 
a gracious deliverance. The judgment on the first-born 
in Egypt was pronounced on Israelites as well as Egyp- 
tians; all were alike exposed to the destroying angel; 
all were accounted guilty and none could claim exemp- 
tion on the ground of justice. In mercy God provided 
that every Hebrew householder might offer a lamb, as a 
sin-offering, in lieu of the first-born under sentence of 
death. The blood of the innocent victims, sprinkled on 
the door-posts, should make atonement, and be accepted 
as a substitute for the life of the son and heir. The de- 
stroying angel, seeing the blood, should pass over the 
household. The lamb thus sacrificed was to be roasted 
and eaten ; thus the feast was a feast upon a sacrifice — a 
covenant feast — a feast of reconciliation and thanksgiving. 

The paschal lamb has been regarded by the church in 
every age as a striking type of Christ. " Christ our Pass- 
over," says the apostle, u is sacrificed for us." He, the 
Lamb of God, was offered to avert the doom which rested 
on the human family. His blood, sprinkled on man's 
habitation, the earth, turned away the messenger of di- 
vine wrath, and arrested the destruction of the race. The 
Passover feast thus pointed forward to the atoning sacri- 
fice of the cross, now about to be consummated. Doubt- 
less Jesus Himself had been distinctly conscious of the 
meaning of the feast. Year after year, He had eaten the 
paschal victim with His disciples, knowing that He was 
celebrating His own approaching death. And now His 
last Passover had come. One more day and the feast 
would lose all significance ; and, as a divine ordinance, 
be superseded by another, which, through all ages, would 
point back to the great sacrifice of which this was a pro- 
phetic type. In this view, this particular Passover is 
invested with touching interest and grandeur. 

It was probably not }^et six o'clock when Jesus, with 



662 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

His apostles, entered the guest-chamber where the feast 
had been prepared. When the hour was come He sat 
down with them. His words, as He took His place at 
the board, were such as they could never forget; they 
smite upon our hearts with divine power and pathos : — 
"With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with 
you before I suffer. For I say unto you I will not any 
more eat thereof, till it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God." 
Long had he been straitened by His divine longing, — I 
had almost said, impatience, — for the baptism of blood ; 
and now, knowing that it was to come upon Him ere the 
close of this Passover dav, and looking bevond the cross 
and the sepulchre, to the kingdom of God, He expressed 
His satisfaction at the fulfillment of His intense desire. 
Then He took the cup, — the first Passover cup,— and not 
drinking of it Himself, after He had given thanks, He 
said : " Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I 
say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, 
until the kingdom of God shall come." No earthly re- 
freshment for Him at such a moment as this ! The shadow 
of a dreadful woe is upon His soul ; but that shadow hides 
not from His view the joy that is set before Him. He will, 
in that kingdom which He contemplates as near, even at 
the doors, drink the new wine with His people. What 
that wine will be can not now be known ; the wine of 
immortality, the wine of heaven, the feast of redeemed 
immortals, the marriage supper of the Lamb, will only be 
understood by those who sit down to the banquet. The 
antepast cheered the soul of the Redeemer on the eve of 
His passion. 

One would think that such words from the lips of Jesus, 
would have stilled, if not extinguished, all selfish passions 
in the hearts of the apostles. It is unutterably mournful 
to read that at this moment a strife broke out among them, 
which of them should be accounted the greatest. It was a 



THE PASSOVER. 663 

question which had often before caused unseemly conten- 
tion ; and now it probably arose while they were taking 
their places at the table. They strove, perhaps, for the 
places of honor, near the Lord's person. There may have 
been another cause of strife. It was probably customary 
among the Jews, either just before or immediately after 
the first cup, for a servant to wash the feet of the guests — 
perhaps also their hands* On this occasion no servant 
was present to perform the ablution, which, if for no cere- 
monial reason, may have been necessary after their walk ; 
and none of the disciples were ready, in the spirit of self- 
sacrifice, to render the needful service. Jesus, grieved at 
their selfish pride, takes occasion to set forth the lowly 
spirit of His kingdom in contrast with the spirit of the 
world : " The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over 
them; and they that exercise authority upon them are 
called benefactors. But ye shall not be so ; but he that 
is greatest among you, let him be as the younger ; and 
he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For whether is 
greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth ? Is 
not he that sitteth at meat ? But I am among you as he 
that serveth. Ye are they which have continued with 
Me in My temptations ; and I appoint unto you a king- 
dom as My Father hath appointed unto Me, that ye may 
eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on 
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Having 
said this Jesus proceeded to exemplify its spirit, in a man- 
ner equally touching and sublime. While supper was 
commencing^ He rose from the table, laid aside His outer 
garment, girded Himself with a towel, and then, pouring 
water into a basin, began to wash the disciples' feet. All 
conjectures in respect to the order of this foot washing 



* This is not certain ; but see Lange's "Life of Christ," vol. 4, pp. 158, 159. 
t So John xiii. 2, ought to be rendered. 



664 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

are vain. He may have commenced with Peter; the 
narrative, however, does not say so, but rather suggests 
the contrary. Jesus no doubt pursued the order best cal- 
culated to subdue that passion for precedence which had 
gained possession of their hearts. 

When the turn of Peter came, he was overwhelmed 
with shame, almost with indignation, that his Lord, whom 
not long before he had confessed as the Christ, the Son of 
the living God, should perform this menial office for him 
and his fellow apostles. When Jesus approached him he 
drew back in a kind of horror: "Lord, dost Thou wash 
my feet?" "What I do," Jesus replied, "thou knowest 
not now, but thou shalt know hereafter." Peter, or 
rather Simon, carried away by what he mistook for rev- 
erent humility, broke forth in language of generous but 
wilful affection — an affection that savored of this world 
rather than of God: "Thou shalt never wash my feet." 
Jesus repressed this unseemly outburst of false humility 
that erected itself against the will of Christ, by words 
which were severe in sound but carried an appeal to the 
true, adoring love which lay at the bottom of Peter's 
heart: "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me." 
It is enough: the very thought of being separated from 
Christ sweeps away all his ill-timed shame and reluctance. 
"Lord," he exclaims, "not my feet only, but also my 
hands and my head." Li recoiling from the abyss which 
he saw opening under his feet, Peter has rushed to the 
opposite extreme. If washing be necessary to continued 
fellowship with Christ, he will not only submit to it, but 
offer his hands and his head. "Jesus saith unto him, He 
that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is 
clean every whit; and ye are clean, but not all." As 
if He had said, "This foot-washing denotes not a total 
cleansing, but presupposes it. It is the partial ablu- 
tion needed by one who, after bathing, has walked in 



THE PASSOVER. 665 

the dust and mire: you have been washed in the laver 
of regeneration, and you therefore only need to be puri- 
fied from such defilement as regenerate persons contract 
from day to day, by reason of their natural corruption." 
Thus Jesus passes from the natural to the spiritual — from 
physical purification to moral. "This foot-washing repre- 
sented to them, besides its lesson of humility and brotherly 
love, their daily need of cleansing from daily pollution, 
even after their spiritual regeneration, at the hands of 
their Divine Master." # 

Our Lord having completed His lowly service, resumed 
His garments and again reclined at the table. "Know 
ye," He said, "what I have done to you? Ye call me 
Master and Lord; and ye say well; for so I am. If I 
then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye 
also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given 
you an example that ye should do as I have done to you. 
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater 
than his lord ; neither is he that is sent greater than he 
that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if 
ye do them. I speak not of you all: I know whom I 
have chosen; but that the Scripture might be fulfilled,! 
He that eateth bread with Me, hath lifted up his heel 
against Me. Now I tell you before it comes, that when 
it is come to pass, ye may Relieve that I am He. Verily, 
verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I 
send, receiveth Me, and he that receiveth Me, receiveth 
Him that sent Me." 

Again and again does Jesus give expression to a great 
sorrow which is weighing on His heart. " Ye are not all 
clean." " I know whom I have chosen ; he who eateth 
bread with Me hath lifted up his heel against Me." 
Now He tells them plainly, "Verily, verily, I say unto 

*Alford on John xiii. 10. | Psalms xli. 9. 



666 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

you that one of you shall betray Me." Alas, a dark 
shadow is on the feast; its fellowship was marred, first, 
by the contention among the disciples, and now by the 
presence of a traitor. The apostles, John excepted, have 
no suspicion that any of their number has already be- 
come a secret enemy of the Lord ; they regard this as a 
prediction of the future apostasy of some member of the 
society. But they are none the less appalled and over- 
whelmed with sorrow by the announcement. Their love 
to Jesus is sincere and intense, though their bearing 
towards one another is sometimes selfish and unfraternal. 
Their thoughts take a humble as well as practical direc- 
tion. Each one thinks within himself, "Am I a dog, to do 
this thing ? Am I capable of such incredible wickedness ? 
'I can not tell what I may be left to do." And so they be- 
gin to say aloud, " Lord, is it I ? Lord, is it I ? " The ques- 
tion runs round the circle ; but Jesus does not answer. 

Peter beckoned to John, who was lying in his Master's 
bosom, to ask Him directly who should be the traitor. 
"Lord," said the beloved disciple, "who is it?" Jesus 
answered, " He it is to whom I shall give a sop when I 
have dipped it." Then he uttered those awful words, 
" The Son of man indeed goeth as it is written of Him, 
but woe to the man by whom the Son of man is be- 
trayed ! Good were it for that man if he had never been 
born." The sign was understood by some ; it must have 
been understood by Judas himself. He saw that his trea- 
son was known to Jesus ; he knew that he was about to 
be pointed out ; but he reached forward and took the sop, 
even while the hand of Jesus was in the dish, saying, 
half in desperation, half in defiance, "Lord, is it I?" 
Jesus answered quietly, and in an under-tone, " Thou hast 
said," — or, Yes, it is thou. Oh, had Judas refused the sop, 
fallen down at Jesus' feet and confessed his sin, all would 
have been forgiven. But when he received the sop, he 



THE PASS OYER. 667 

finally closed the contract with Satan, who from that mo- 
ment gained entire possession of him. He retained his 
consciousness of freedom, and so was not a demoniac, but 
he was henceforth like an arrow shot from Satan's bow. 
So when Jesus said to him, " That thou doest,* do quickly," 
— words spoken rapidly, and still in an under-tone, Judas 
arose and immediately went out. He had much to do; 
and he worked with energy at his fearful task. He had to 
make arrangements with the rulers for the fulfillment of 
his bargain. In the confusion of the moment, the major- 
ity of the apostles did not understand what was passing. 
The sudden departure of Judas, they supposed had refer- 
ence to some further provision to be made for the feast, 
or to the distribution of alms to the poor. Had they sus- 
pected that he was going to raise a band of men to seize 
their Lord, those two swords which they had among them 
would not have slept in their scabbards. Peter, prompt 
and fiery, would not have let the traitor escape. 

But he is gone, and with his departure the black shadow 
which had come over the feast has vanished. Jesus, con- 
scious now that He is surrounded with sincere though 
timid friends, gives unreserved expression to the mingled 
joy and sorrow which were swelling in His heart : " Now 
is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. 
If God be glorified in Him, God shall also glorify Him in 
Himself, and shall straitway glorify Him. Little children, 
yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me, and 
as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye can not come, 
so now I say to you, A new commandment I give unto 
you, that ye love one another ; as I have loved you that 
ye also love one another. By this shall all men know- 
that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one for another." 

Peter broke in on the discourse, at this point, with the 
question, " Lord, whither goest Thou ? " Our Lord's an- 
swer was prompted by tender reserve, for how could they 



668 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

bear the whole truth touching His death and entrance into 
the mysterious realm of hades? "Whither I go, thou 
canst not follow Me now ; but thou shalt follow Me after- 
ward." Peter, without any full understanding of this pro- 
phetic utterance, answered in the conscious sincerity of 
His heart, "Lord, why can not I follow Thee now? I will 
lay down my life for Thy sake." Jesus, addressing Him- 
self to all the apostles, said, "All ye shall be offended 
because of Me this night ; for it is written, I will smite 
the Shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered. But after 
I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. Peter 
answered and said unto Him, Though all men shall be 
offended because of Thee, yet will I never be offended." 
Bold words, which the rash apostle afterwards remem- 
bered with shame and sorrow. " Simon, Simon," said the 
Lord, " behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he 
may sift you as wheat; but I have prayed for thee that 
thy faith fail not; and when thou art converted, strengthen 
thy brethren." Peter still protested his readiness to ac- 
company his Master even to prison and to death. How 
little he knew of his own heart! Jesus knew all that 
lay unconscious in that heart : " Yerily, I say unto thee, 
That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow 
twice, thou shalt deny Me thrice." Peter refused to be 
convinced ; with the vehemence of a hurt spirit, he still 
persisted in declaring his willingness to die with his 
adored Master. He spoke as he felt; but he spoke in 
ignorance of his infirmities. Had he owned it as possi- 
ble, at that moment, that he would deny Christ, we should 
have loved him less. How much he was like one of us! 
It is often overlooked that Peter was addressed, as in 
some degree representing his brethren. The words, " Satan 
hath desired to have you, that he may sift; you as wheat," 
were spoken to all the apostles. They joined him, not 
only in his vehement protestations, but in his cowardly 



THE PASS OYER. 669 

flight when Jesus was arrested. They did not with him 
enter the palace of the High Priest, following Jesus afar 
off. His courage lasted longer than theirs. Even in the 
garden, he attempted to defend our Lord with the sword, 
but was overruled. Peter was not a coward ; he was a 
weak, sinful man, and an immature Christian ; " for the 
Holy Ghost was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet 
glorified." * After the day of Pentecost, who so brave as 
Peter? At this time he and his fellow-apostles were 
trusting in their own strength. They had even had 
thoughts of defending their Master and themselves against 
any sudden assault of their enemies. Jesus would lead 
them to see the vanity of self-help at this crisis : " When 
I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye 
anything ? And they said, Nothing. Then said He unto 
them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it ; and 
likewise his scrip ; and he that hath no sword, let him sell 
his garment and buy one. For I say unto you, that this 
that is written must yet be accomplished in Me, And 
He was reckoned with the transgressors ; for the things 
concerning Me have an end." You will now need to make 
thorough provision for your own safety ; for I am about 
to be taken from you. You will have need of treasure 
and of means of defense ; for you will have a world in 
arms against you. That He was speaking figuratively 
they ought to have known ; for how could they purchase 
swords at that hour of the Passover night ? They, how- 
ever, as usual, understood Him in the literal sense; "Lord, 
behold, here are two swords." We can not but picture 
to ourselves the look of pain with which He replied, a It 
is enough." Enough, and more than enough, of carnal 
weapons. Enough, and more than enough, of their stolid 
misconception of His words. 



*Jolm vii. 39. 



CHAPTER IX. 

LORD'S SUPPER: VALEDICTORY DISCOURSE. 

Matthew xxvi. 26-29. Mark xiv. 22-25. Luke xxn. 19, 20. I. Corinthians xt. 23-25. 
John xiv. xv. xvi. xvii. 

According to the liarmonistic scheme which we have 
adopted, the Passover feast was now well advanced. The 
first and second cups of wine had been drunk ; the un- 
leavened bread and bitter herbs had been eaten ; the fare- 
well morsel of the lamb had been received; and the time 
had almost come for the third cup and the singing of the 
Halle!. At this stage of the meal its character was sud- 
denly changed: the old covenant passover became, by 
the act of Christ, a new covenant sacrament. "And as 
they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and 
brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; 
this is My body which is broken for you ; this do in re- 
membrance of Me. And He took the cup, and gave 
thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 
for this is my blood of the new testament which is shed 
for many for the remission of sins; this do ye, as oft as 
ye do it, in remembrance of Me. But I say unto you, I 
will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until 
that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's 
kingdom." 

That we may enter into the significance of the Holy 
Communion, thus instituted, we must carefullv consider 

7 7 i/ 

the act and the words of Jesus. The act lay in His 
taking the bread, which was, of course, unleavened, into 






the lord's supper. 671 



His hands, and, after giving thanks, breaking it and giving 
it to the disciples. After the same manner He took the 
cup, gave thanks, and gave it to the disciples. That He 
wrought any substantial change in the bread and wine, is 
not contradicted by the record ; but neither is it declared. 
For aught that appears, the bread and the wine were still 
bread and wine after He. had blessed them. What He 
intended to do can be best inferred from what He said. 
The words of thanksgiving or blessing which He uttered 
are not recorded. Had they been extraordinary, — had 
they revealed any mystery connected with the new sacra- 
ment, they would assuredly have been given to the church. 
What, then, was the meaning of His words, when He pre- 
sented the bread and the wine to His disciples ? He tells 
them that the bread was His body — His body "given" and 
"broken" for them. By His body He doubtless meant 
His living body, then and there visible to them; but soon 
to be offered as a sacrifice for their sins. Indeed, He 
speaks of it as already offered — as already given up and 
broken. So His blood is spoken of as already shed for the 
remission of sins. He represents Himself as a perpetual 
sin-offering — the one, eternal paschal Lamb. But in what 
sense was the bread His bodv, and the wine His blood? 

What meaning did the apostles themselves probably 
attach to the words? Is it credible that they understood 
Him as asserting that the bread and wine which He held 
in His hands were at that moment, by a stupendous mira- 
cle, changed into the very substance of His body and 
blood ? Is it probable that such an idea was even faintly 
suggested to their minds ? It was an idea so new, so ex- 
traordinary, so contradicted by their senses, that if it had 
but dawned upon them, they would not have failed to 
question Him further. Accustomed, however, as they 
were, to commemorative and symbolical rites, they would 
easily understand the bread and wine as signifying His 



672 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

body about to be offered and His blood about to be shed 
for their redemption. "This bread which I now break, is, 
for you, My body ; and this wine, which I divide among 
you, is, for you, My blood. I give you, by these tokens, 
the fulness of My life. When, after My death, you do 
this in remembrance of Me, be assured that I shall then 
be with you, as truly as I am with you now. This sacra- 
ment shall be the sign and pledge of My presence in the 
power and grace of My risen and glorified humanity -, in 
eating the bread and drinking the wine, you shall have 
real communion in My body and blood." So much the 
apostles must have understood, either at the time, or after 
the resurrection of our Lord. It does not appear that 
they held or taught any doctrine more definite than this. 

After the apostolic age, the fathers spoke of the eucha- 
rist in terms of the most profound reverence ; but they 
did not assert the scholastic, middle-age doctrine of tran- 
substantiation. They held that the sacrament was de- 
signed to unite the partakers wholly with Christ, — to 
change itself in them, according to His working, into His 
body and blood. The development from this germ of 
the tremendous dogma of transubstantiation, is a striking 
comment on the words of the apostle, a Are ye so foolish ? 
Having begun in the spirit, are ye now made perfect in 
the flesh?" This dogma demands no extended notice, 
much less refutation, in the present work. Since the 
Eeformation three theories of the Lord's Supper have 
prevailed among Protestants, each of which has a large 
element of truth : 

First, it has been held by many that the Lord's Supper 
is simply a commemoration of the historic Christ, espe- 
cially of His sufferings and death. According to this view, 
the bread and wine are mere emblems to remind the par- 
taker of the broken body and the shed blood of the 
Lord. His presence in the sacrament is in no sense 



the lord's sufper. 673 

special or peculiar; He is, indeed, present only to thought 
and feeling, and not at all by any operation of His glori- 
fied humanity, or energy proceeding from it. He is pres- 
ent only as His sufferings and death are realized by 
Christian faith and feeling. It is even said by some that 
the communicant finds in the sacrament what he brings 
to it ; no more, no less. The positive part of this view, 
is, so far as it goes, both true and important. The Lord's 
Supper was doubtless intended to be a commemorative 
feast ; and the consecrated bread and wine are true me- 
morials of His body and blood. This is not denied by 
any, but is an essential part of every doctrine of the Eu- 
charist. But does this exhaust the meaning of the sac- 
rament? Is there not some sense in which the ever- 
living Eedeemer gives Himself to His people when He 
says, Take, eat ; this is My body ; this is My blood ; drink 
ye all of it ? " The bread which we break," says the 
apostle, "is the communion of the body of Christ; the 
cup of blessing which we bless is the communion of 
the blood of Christ." Is there, then, no real communion 
in the body and blood of the Lord? Is the Supper a 
make-believe feast on the sacrificed Lamb of God ? We 
believe that there is more, infinitely more, in the Lord's 
Supper than the Zwinglian view admits. The Christian 
consciousness of these later days is powerfully reacting 
against the scarcely disguised rationalism which strips all 
Christian sacraments of life and reality, and turns them 
into mere Judaic ceremonies. That reaction, if we read 
aright the signs of the times, is destined to make itself 
widely and deeply felt hereafter. 

Secondly, the doctrine of the Reformed Church, has, in 
the main, been that of Calvin, who, while asserting that 
our Lord intended the supper to be a feast of commemo- 
ration, strenuously insisted that He Himself, in His real 

body and blood is received therein, by faith. According 
43 



674 THE LIFE OF CHPJST. 

to this doctrine, the glorified Saviour is really present, 
not in the bread and wine which remain unchanged, but 
under the outward signs ; that is to say, in the sacrament 
as a whole, by the power of the Holy Ghost. Christ can 
be received only by faith ; He gives Himself only to the 
believer, but to him He gives Himself wholly. This doc- 
trine of the real presence, fully answers the demand of 
a sound exegesis and meets the yearnings of the Christian 
heart. When our Lord says : " Take, eat ; this is My 
body," there is a large and glorious meaning in the words 
if they assure the communicant of the gift of the fulness 
of His divine-human life. In this view the wondrous dis- 
course in the sixth chapter of John's gospel, is luminous 
and sublime ; while the lower view makes it mystical and 
extravagant. 

Thirdly, the Lutheran doctrine, which differs little from 
what is called the Anglican, asserts the real presence of 
the Lord in the material elements by way of mysterious 
union with their substance. We can not see how this 
view harmonizes any better with the words of Christ 
than the one just presented ; and it is logically less ten- 
able. By contending for such a physical change in the 
bread and wine as is implied in their substantial union 
with the body and blood of Christ, it concedes a necessity 
for suc^i a principle of interpretation, as leaves it no 
ground to stand upon as against Romanism. The Angli- 
can doctrine, however, leaves us a real sacrament, and not 
an empty rite. While it tends to superstition, it protests 
against the hollowness and deadness of a baptized ration- 
alism. It witnesses to the presence of the risen Saviour 
in the church ; and in that we may well rejoice. 

We accept, therefore, the doctrine of the Eucharist, 
which has always been held with more or less, distinctness 
by the reformed churches throughout the world. We 
recognize in the Lord's Supper, not only a commemorative 



THE VALEDICTORY DISCOURSE. 675 

rite but a true communion in the body and blood of the 
Lord. It is, to the end of the world, a witness to His 
love in giving Himself for His people; but it is also a 
witness and a token that He gives Himself to them. 

The apostles must have understood it as preeminently 
an expression of His love. We cannot but long to roll 
back the centuries, and enter that upper room where the 
eleven with tearful wonder, gaze upon their adored Master, 
so soon to leave them. The night is waxing late. The 
feast is over. They sing a hymn, and are about to depart. 
They are arrested by His voice; He has yet much to say 
to them; for they need consolation and strength. In a 
short hour or two, He will be separated from them; and 
they will be like sheep having no shepherd. Not thus 
will He have them go out into the dark night — into the 
darker night of sorrow and conflict and suffering. He 
has farewell counsel and consolation to impart before He 
is separated from them to undergo His cross and passion. 

It has been much debated, by scholars, whether the 
farewell discourse was spoken in the supper-room, or in 
the open air, on the way to Gethsemane. It is not 
essentially a question of much importance ; but we incline 
to a modification of the latter hypothesis. It seems 
probable that the first part of the discourse — so much as 
is recorded in John xiv. — was spoken at the table — won- 
drous table-talk indeed! — and that the remainder, with 
the prayer, was uttered after our Lord, having said, "Arise, 
let us go hence," went out with the eleven. The limits 
of this book, already overgrown, forbid an extended ex- 
position of the farewell discourse. Happily, there are few 
passages of Scripture which are at once so profound and 
so transparent. The reader, it is hoped, will at this point 
read that discourse, without note or comment from begin- 
ning to end. Then he may, if so disposed, glance at the 
following reflections upon it. 



676 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

"We are struck with the divine calmness of this dis- 
course. One recognizes in it an undertone of sorrow; 
but, as a whole, it is like a cloudless summer evening, 
when earth, sky and ocean, suffused with gleams of purple 
and gold, seem entranced, and a sacred peace broods over 
all. Not a sentence, not a word, betrays the agitation of 
fear, or doubt, or disappointment; but all is serene, though 
pensive and tender. It is clear that our Lord was not 
surprised by the tragical end of His mission. He had all 
along expected and foretold it; and when at last He felt 
that His hour was come, He was not shocked or discom- 
posed. In the midst of His spiritual household He dis- 
coursed concerning His departure in language almost joy- 
ous and exultant. Nay, more ; He instituted a feast to be 
forever celebrated in commemoration of His death. If 
He seemed at all troubled in spirit it was on account of 
His anxious and sorrowful disciples, who were unable, as 
yet, to understand the relation between the sufferings of 
Christ and the glory that should follow. To them He 
would impart His own interior tranquillity ; and the scope 
of the whole discourse is expressed in the wondrous ben- 
ediction: — "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give 
unto you." 

In His gracious endeavor to encourage and . comfort 
His dejected apostles, our Lord's selection of topics was 
marked by divine wisdom. They were already cower- 
ing and trembling under the shadow of the approaching 
storm ; they were terror-stricken and heart-broken by the 
thought of His leaving them. "Let not your heart be 
troubled ; ye believe in God ; believe also in Me." See 
that you are fixed by faith on the Rock of ages. Do you 
mourn for My departure ? Do you not, then, know whither 
and for what purpose I am going ? "In My Father's house 
are many mansions : if it were not so, I would have told 
you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and 



THE VALEDICTORY DISCOURSE. 677 

prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you 
unto Myself, that where I am, there ye may be also." 
" During My absence I will prepare you a habitation in 
some peaceful world, far beyond the troubles and conflicts 
of earth ; and I will return for you in due time. Be as- 
sured that our separation will be of brief duration ; I shall 
long for your presence in the Father's house." Having an- 
swered the characteristic questions of Thomas and Philip, 
by setting forth in words of wonderful depth and grandeur, 
His relation to the Father as His express image ; and His 
relation to men, as the only way to the Father ; He goes 
on to animate their drooping hearts by promising to send 
to them the Divine Paraclete — that other Comforter — 
who should supply and more than supply the lack of His 
bodily presence. In fact, He would Himself come to them 
in the life-giving and light-giving energy of the Holy 
Spirit. Those who truly loved Him should not be left 
in the loneliness of orphanage ; but He would manifest 
Himself to them ; nay, He and the Father would make 
Their abode with them. Again He promises them the 
Comforter, and pronounces upon them His effectual bless- 
ing, bidding them, if they love Him, to rejoice that He 
is going to the Father. 

After they had left the supper-room, and while they 
were on their way to the garden, our Lord resumed His 
discourse. It is quite possible that, pausing a few minutes, 
near one of the vineyards beyond the city wall, He pointed 
to some luxuriant vine, and said : " I am the true vine, and 
My Father is the husbandman." Your union with Me is 
vital, indissoluble. We are forever one by a mutual in- 
dwelling. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in 
you, you shall be fruitful, and you shall prevail in prayer ; 
for living in Me, asking in My name, you shall receive all 
you desire. Assuring them of His love — love stronger 
than death, — calling them, not servants, but friends, He 



678 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

commands them to love one another, and to bring forth 
much fruit to the glory of God. Forewarning them of 
the persecutions which should come upon them, He forti- 
fies their minds against them with the thought that they 
would suffer with Him and for His name's sake ; and with 
a third promise of the Comforter, now also called the 
Spirit of Truth, He tells them plainly that the time was 
coming when they would be put out of the synagogues, 
and, like beasts of prey be hunted to the death. Once 
more, and for the fourth time, He repeats His promise that 
He would send to them the Paraclete : "It is expedient for 
you that I go away; for if I go not away,. the Comforter 
will not come to you ; but if I depart I will send Him 
unto you. And when He is come, He will reprove the 
world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment ; of sin, 
because they believe not on Me ; of righteousness, because i 
I go to My Father, and ye see Me no more ; of judgment, I 
because the Prince of this world is judged. I have yet | 
many things to say unto you, but ye can not bear them 
now. Howbeit, when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, j 
He will guide you into all truth ; for He shall not speak 
of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He 
speak ; and He shall show you things to come. He shall 
glorify Me ; for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show 
it unto you. All things that the Father hath are Mine ; 
therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall 
show it unto you." 

This then is the central topic in this discourse — the 
coming and work of the Holy Spirit, The departure of jl 
Christ was an indispensable prerequisite to the baptismjj 
of the Holy Ghost. His humanity must needs be glori- 
fied, before He can be the channel for conveying to Hisji 
people this crowning gift. The presence of the Com- 
forter would fill them with life, and light, and power, and 
joy. Therefore, instead of mourning His departure they 



THE VALEDICTORY DISCOURSE. 679 

ou^ht to rejoice in it. It is to be noted that our Lord, in 
this discourse, repeatedly speaks of His own coming as 
connected with that of the Comforter, or rather as one 
with it. "A little while, and ye shall not see Me; and 
again a little while and ye shall see Me, because I go 
unto the Father." Doubtless we are to understand, in 
this place, that spiritual coming of the Lord in the power 
of the Holy Ghost, which is to be at last suddenly sig- 
nalized and consummated in His visible appearing, with- 
out sin, unto salvation. This visible return of the Lord 
will not supersede the work of the Spirit, but immeasura- 
bly augment the heavenly gift. 

Finally, telling them plainly that He was about to leave 
the world and go unto the Father ; and encouraging them 
to ask boldly whatsoever they needed in His name, because 
the Father Himself loved them ; He concludes His fare- 
well discourse in words of mingled warning and consola- 
tion : " Behold the hour cometh, and is now come, when 
ye shall be scattered every man to his own, and shall 
leave Me alone ; and yet I am not alone, because the 
Father is with Me. These things I have spoken unto 
you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye 
shall have tribulation ; but be of good cheer ; I have 
overcome the world." Having said these words, Jesus, 
standing there under the starry heavens, lifted up His 
eyes and uttered that marvellous high-priestly prayer, 
which can best be understood by those who study it, in 
solitude and silence, on their knees. 



CHAPTEK X. 

GETHSEMANE. 

LOCATION OF THE GARDEN — CHRIST'S AGONY AND BLOODY SWEAT — AN 
ANGEL STRENGTHENS HIM. 

Matthew xxvi. 36-46. Mark xiv. 32-42. Luke xxii. 39-46. John xvih. 1. 

No spot is more interesting to the Christian heart than 
Gethsemane. Tradition gives the name to an enclosure 
not far from the eastern wall of Jerusalem, containing 
eight gnarled and age-worn olive trees. These trees, 
quite different from any others in the vicinity, and " the 
most venerable of their race on the surface of the earth," * 
witness to the antiquity of the tradition. As the place 
of our Lord's agony and of His betrayal must have been 
peculiarly sacred to the apostles and early Christians, it 
is not easy to see how it could have become unknown. 
Eusebius and Jerome mention the place as well known in 
their day; and ever since it has been a favorite resort of 
Christian pilgrims. We are persuaded that though the 
existing enclosure may be of less extent than the ancient 
garden, it is not far from the very spot which was forever 
consecrated by the agony and bloody sweat of the Lord. 
It was a spot to which Jesus had been wont to retire, 
previous to His last mysterious and awful visit.f It 
probably belonged to some friend — possibly to the family 

* Dean Stanley. f Luke xxi. 37 ; compare xxii. 39. 



GETHSEMASTE. 681 

of Martha. It was secluded and still ; and the fig, pome- 
granate, olive and vine, offered their a hospitable shade " 
to the Son of man, in his hours of repose and devotion. 

This last visit of Jesus to Gethsemane was in the night, 
probably between the hours of eleven and twelve o'clock. 
As He stood there at the entrance of the garden, the 
moon, then near its full, was shining brightly on tower and 
palace, on the temple and its cluster of marble out-build- 
ings, on mountain and valley, now thickly dotted with 
the tents and booths of the multitude who had come up 
to attend the Passover. Our Lord, however, at this mo- 
ment, had nothing to do with the fair outside world ; He 
was advancing to the great spiritual conflict by which the 
eternal destiny of the human family was to be determined. 
Before entering the garden, He divided His little company 
into two bands. Selecting Peter, James and John to ac- 
company Him, He said to the other eight : " Sit ye here, 
while I go and pray yonder." He knew, perhaps, that 
they could not witness His agony without peril to their 
faith ; but He desired the presence of the three who had 
witnessed His transfiguration and some of His mightiest 
miracles, and had, from the first, received many special 
proofs of His confidence. 

And now, as He passed into the garden, a shadow 
deeper than that of the olive-trees fell upon Him — a 
shadow that wrapped His soul in the blackness of dark- 
ness. He began to be sorrowful, and very heavy, and sore 
amazed. Those who have been struck — and who has 
not ? — with the calm, consolatory, even triumphant tone 
of the farewell discourse, may regard this sudden and ter- 
rible dejection as surprising ; but let it be considered that 
our Lord, though sinless, was true man ; and that such 
rapid alternations of conflicting emotions — especially in 
seasons of extraordinary excitement, — are intensely hu- 
man. A great general, on the eve of a decisive battle, 



682 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

the issue of which he regards as certain, may express 
the highest confidence and even joy ; but when his col- 
umns are about to charge the enemy, he may inwardly 
shudder at the approaching carnage, and at the wide- 
spread suffering by which alone victory can be achieved. 
I am far from the irreverence of comparing the Captain 
of our salvation with any earthly warrior, except in re- 
spect of that humanity which He shared with all men. 
He had reached the crisis of His redeeming work. He 
had freely offered Himself for the sacrifice ; and now it 
was to be required of Him. He was to suffer all that the 
malice of hell and the rage of ungodly men could inflict. 
He saw just before Him, as if already present, His be- 
trayal, the insults and mockeries which would be heaped 
upon Him, the lingering agonies of the cross, the cold 
obstruction of the tomb, and whatever of dread and mys- 
tery there may be in death ; He knew all He must suffer 
for sin and from sin ; and though His purpose did not 
waver, His human soul, in part because it was sinless, 
started back in instinctive loathing and horror from the 
mighty woe. Pain and suffering were alien to that Holy 
One, who but for His own voluntary surrender, could 
never have felt a mortal shock or pang, but only the 
fulness and harmony of the powers of an endless life. 
There was in His soul a depth of holy sensibility of 
which a sinner can not conceive. To bear the sins of 
men, to endure the contradiction of sinners against Him- 
self, to suffer death at their hands; — shall we wonder 
that the Son of man shrunk from this ? 

Though He knew that He must tread the wine-press 
alone, and that of the people there would be none with 
Him, His words, at this moment, revealed a craving for 
human sympathy : " My soul is exceeding sorrowful even 
unto death; tarry ye here and watch with Me." The 
pain and anguish which He felt were so -intense that He 



GETHSEMANE. 683 

seems to have apprehended death, then and there ; and 
though the three disciples could not help Him bear the 
burden which was crushing His soul, He desired to have 
them near Him in His deadly anguish, not to pray with 
Him or for Him, but to watch with Him. How He loved 
them! And how He longed for their love! "And He 
went forward a little," (Luke says, "a stone's cast,") "and 
fell on His face, and prayed that, if it were possible, the 
hour might pass from Him, And He said, Abba, Father, 
all things are possible unto Thee ; take away this cup 
from Me ; nevertheless, not what I will, but what Thou 
wilt." As this prayer is the key to this mysterious pas- 
sage of our Lord's history, we must reverently inquire 
into its meaning. 

In the first place, then, let it be noted that Jesus, so 
far from intimating any doubt of His Sonship, or of the 
Father's love, expresses the highest filial confidence. 
"Abba, Father" — thus in the hour of His agony, He 
comes to God. That He was personally an object of 
divine wrath, that the Father was angry with Him, is a 
supposition contradicted by every word He utters. Even 
on the cross, the exclamation, " My God, My God, why 
hast Thou forsaken Me ? " implies that even while con- 
scious of a fearful desertion, He felt that His relation 
to the Father was unchanged. The Father loved the 
Son as much in the garden, and on the cross, as ever 
before or ever afterwards. 

It must be noted in the second place, that this prayei 
implies, or rather plainly declares, that what our Lord 
was about to suffer was in fulfillment of the Father's will, 
He prayed that if it was the Father's will, the cup might 
pass from Him; but if it was the Father's will that He 
should drink it, He submissively accepted the deadly 
draught. He did not intimate that His sufferings would 
come upon Him incidentally, in the prosecution of His res 



684 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

deeming work. He recognized the mighty woe, called by 
Him "this cup" as laid upon Him by the Father's hand. 
The case then stands thus: the Father, loving the Son 
with infinite and unchangeable tenderness, wills that He 
should undergo peculiar and unexampled suffering; the 
Son, not doubting the Father's love, while He shrinks 
from that suffering, resigns Himself to it in submission to 
the Father's will. 

We come now to the question, what was that cup 
which the Father's hand pressed to the lips of His beloved 
Son ? The phrase itself, employed by our Lord on a former 
occasion* in the same sense, was borrowed from the Old 
Testament Scriptures, where it signifies extreme suffer- 
ings. A striking example of its use may be seen in Isaiah 
li. 22, 23 : "Thus saith thy Lord, the Lord, that pleadeth 
the cause of His people, Behold, I have taken out of thine 
hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of 
my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again; but I will 
put it into the hand of them that afflict thee." In Jere- 
miah xxv. 15, 28, the same figure is expanded to the di- 
mensions of an allegory. In every case it is the cup of 
divine wrath; and it is represented as producing trem- 
bling, desolation, astonishment, and anguish. Now when 
our Lord speaks of the cup, He doubtless means His whole 
passion then commencing; all the sufferings which He 
was to endure according to the Father's will. And it is 
quite true, and quite in keeping with the language of 
Scripture, that the cup which was appointed Him was the 
cup of the wrath of God. And this by no means contra- 
dicts what has been already said touching the Father's 
unchangeable love to His Son. 

What is meant by this phrase — the wrath of God? It 
can only mean such wrath as springs from absolute love; 

*Matt. xx. 20. 



GETHSEMANE. 



685 






for God is love. There can be no feeling in the divine 
heart which is not some form of holy love — of love, all- 
knowing, all-just, all-wise. Need we prove that such love 
is capable of anger — of wrath — of burning indignation ? 
Is not paternal love, when outraged by filial ingratitude 
and rebellion, terrible in its displeasure ? Divine love is 
revealed from heaven as wrath against sin — the wrath, 
not only of an insulted Father, but a holy sovereign — a 
wrath, therefore, revealed in the way of law. It is free 
from all perturbation of passion, from any mixture of 
hatred against the persons of transgressors ; but it is real 
and infinite displeasure. The wrath of God against sin is 
such wrath as Jesus Himself manifested in the days of 
His humiliation. He revealed the Father. He was in 
the Father and the Father in Him. The divine anger was 
His own anger. It were a grievous error to imagine that 
there was a lack of unity between the Father and the 
Son ; that they, in fact, took opposite sides ; the former 
that of justice, the latter of mercy. There was — there 
could be — no contrariety of feeling or purpose, between 
the consubstantial Persons of the adorable Trinity. All 
that was in the Father was in the Son by eternal self-com- 
munication. The wrath of God against sin was therefore 
in the Son as well as in the Father ; in bearing that wrath 
our Lord bore His own wrath; that is to say, He felt an 
abhorrence and indignation against the sins of man — and 
He was man — truly divine. His holy heart was burdened, 
grieved, wounded, broken, by the sins of His brethren. 

Though He Himself was immaculate, He thoroughly 
identified Himself with our race in its fallen state. He 
became bone of our bone, flesh of our flesh. He entered 
into our nature and our condition. By a sympathy abso- 
lutely unique, He took our sins on His sinless soul; real- 
ized, as we never can, their infinite foulness and turpitude ; 
and grasped, in His outstretched arms, that fearful thing. 



686 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

that aggregate of eternal pains and horrors — death — the 
penalty of sin. Thus while He carried in His heart the 
wrath of God against sin, He was bound to His brethren 
by large and tender sympathy ; He took them with all 
their sins and miseries, on His own soul • He felt the de- 
pravity and guilt of mankind as indeed foreign to Him, 
nevertheless His own. In the consciousness of the God- 
man, the holy anger of God against sin and a human 
sense of the evil of sin and its desert of punishment, 
were brought into contact. Hence the feeling of inward 
disharmony and conflict, so foreign to that consciousness ; 
hence, the sore amazement, the exceeding heaviness, the 
sorrow unto death, the agony, of the Lord in the garden. 
Though He had no sin of which to repent, He was the 
vicarious Penitent of mankind. His sorrow was godly 
sorrow for sin — for man's sin — and again I repeat, He 
was man; and it was a sorrow commensurate with the 
sin, a sorrow so holy, so full, so intense, that it satisfied 
the feeling of the divine nature, called sometimes justice, 
sometimes, wrath ; that is to say, His sorrow satisfied His 
own justice, His own wrath against sin. He put a true 
estimate on transgression, and justified the penalty. Nay, 
He truly suffered that penalty ; for He took it on His own 
soul, felt its unutterable bitterness, and in the full, ade- 
quate, conscious realization of it, finally died. Thus sin 
was not only repented of, but punished in Him; thus He 
suffered for us the curse and the pains of hell. Thus He 
confessed, as the Head and Representative of mankind, 
that the race was justly condemned ; thus He vindicated 
the law and government of God ; thus He bore the divine 
wrath and satisfied divine justice. Nevertheless, He was, 
and He knew that He was, all the while the object of the 
Father's complacency. On the other hand, He suffered, 
and He knew that He suffered, in fulfillment of the Fa- 
ther's will. The Father gave Him up and appointed Him 



GETHSEMANE. 687 

to the cup of death, to the baptism of blood. And He 
accepted Him as a substitute for mankind ; and His suf- 
ferings as a sufficient expiation of the sins of the world. 
For all was done in pursuance of an eternal, mutual pur- 
pose, properly called a covenant, between the Father and 
the Son. 

Such then was the cup from which Jesus prayed to be 
delivered: "Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup 
from Me." The petition is prompted by the feeling of 
unendurable pain : it is the instinctive cry of weakness 
under a burden which it feels itself unable to bear. It 
would seem indeed that He was about to expire ; for, in 
answer to His prayer, an angel was sent to strengthen 
Him. "When He had offered up prayers and supplica- 
tions with strong crying and tears unto Him that was 
able to save Him from death, He was heard in that He 
feared."* After His strength was thus supernaturally 
reinforced, "being in an agony, He prayed more ear- 
nestly ; and His sweat was, as it were, great drops of blood 
falling down to the ground," How long He lay pros- 
trate in this awful agony we know not. At length, He 
remembered His three disciples, rose from the ground 
and returned to them. Alas, can it be ! He finds them 
sleeping. How unutterably mournful are His words to 
Peter ! " What ! could ye not watch with Me one hour ? 
Watch and pray, lest ye enter into temptation." Lest 
the reproof should seem too cutting, He adds, " The spirit 
indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." 

Again He retires; again He falls upon the ground; 
again He prays; but there is a change. He no longer 
asks that the cup may pass away; He is distinctly con- 
scious that it can not pass ; " My Father, if this cup 
may not pass from Me except I drink it, Thy will be done ! " 



* Hebrews v. 7. 



688 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

Thus His human will and His human sensibility, are immo- 
lated to the will of God. He is obedient unto death. 
Henceforth He has no choice. He takes the cup from 
the Father's hand. He advances alone into the dread 
Thermopylae of the universe ; He exposes Himself to the 
full shock of the powers of hell; He bares His bosom 
to the bolts of divine wrath; He lays Himself on the 
altar, and awaits the stroke of the sacrificial knife. Once 
more His heart prompts Him to seek the place where the 
disciples are — watching ? — no, but again sleeping. What 
He said to them is not recorded ; they heard Him not ; 
they answered Him not. Thou lonely Sufferer! is 
there then no sympathy for Thee in the wide world — 
only in God ! 

For the third time He retires to pray, saying the same 
words. Returning to the still sleeping disciples, He ex- 
claims, "Do you sleep now and take your rest? Behold, 
the hour is come ! The Son of man is betrayed into the 
hands of sinners ! Rise up, let us go ! Lo, he that be- 
trayeth Me is at hand ! " Jesus had doubtless caught a 
glimpse of the party with torches and lanterns that Judas 
was at that moment leading forth from the city. He goes 
forth to meet His betrayer. 



CHAPTER XI. 

JESUS BETRAYED: PETER'S DENIAL. 

Matthew xxvi. 47-75. Mark xiv. 43-72. Luke xxii. 47-62. John xvhi. 2-27. 

Aftee Judas left the supper-room, he prosecuted his 
horrible enterprise with extraordinary energy. The 
arrangements which were made, at his instigation, for 
the apprehension of Jesus, were not only complete but 
needlessly elaborate. The officers of the Sanhedrim 
gathered around them a promiscuous multitude, armed 
with swords and staves ; and a detachment of the Roman 
cohort — if not the cohort itself* — quartered in the tower 
of Antonia, was secured from the proper authorities. 
These preparations were prompted both by fear and 
policy. There may have been in the mind of the trai- 
tor — perhaps also in the minds of the rulers themselves — 
a vague apprehension of some terrible supernatural in- 
terference ; they had more reason to look for an attempt 
at rescue by the multitude ; and in any case, it was the 
part of policy to demonstrate by ostentatious and exag- 
gerated precautions, the danger to be apprehended from 
Jesus and His party. The band was provided with lan- 
terns and torches, not only because this was usual in all 
military expeditions by. night, but also because, though it- 
was then full moon, it might be necessary to search for 



Such is the meaning of the word translated " band " in John xviii. 3. 
44 



690 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

their prisoner among the rocks and caves which abounded 
in the valley, or among the trees and vines of the garden. 
Judas, having first promised to identify Jesus by kiss- 
ing Him, led forth the multitude towards Gethsemane ; 
for he knew that Jesus often resorted thither. The tramp 
of so many armed men must have sounded through the 
deep and narrow valley; and our Lord seems to have 
heard the sound and seen the glare of the torches while 
He was yet in the depth of the garden. Hastily rousing 
His sleeping disciples, He advanced to the entrance, just 
as Judas, walking a little before the band, was passing 
in. With affected haste, the traitor approached Him, and 
saying, " Master, Master ! " kissed Him. Jesus, with regal 
calmness and majesty, replied, " Friend, wherefore art 
thou come ?" Then, doubtless in a changed voice, and 
with a terrible emphasis, He added, "Judas, betrayest 
thou the Son of man with a kiss?" Not pausing, how- 
ever, for a moment, He passed out to meet the officers 
and the multitude. As He stood there in the moonlight, 
and under the red glare of the torches, with the traces 
of His divine sorrow upon His countenance, and the 
majesty of innocence stamped upon His brow, the multi- 
tude were struck with awe. "Whom seek ye?" He 
asked. He had a reason for ascertaining just how far 
•their warrant extended. When they answered " Jesus of 
Nazareth," He rejoined, " I am He." The words were ut- 
tered with such godlike power, and accompanied by such 
an outflashing of glory, that they started back, as if 
struck by a thunder-bolt, and fell to the ground. So the 
Nazarenes had been overpowered when they were about 
to kill him ; so the buyers and sellers had been expelled 
from the temple by the terror of His presence. On this 
occasion it was not His purpose to paralyze His enemies, 
and so escape out of their hands. Therefore, He reas- 
sured them by asking again, "Whom seek ye ?" Again 



THE BETRAYAL. 691 

they said, " Jesus of Nazareth." " I have told you," He 
answered " that I am He. If therefore ye seek Me, let 
these go their way." Thus it appears that Jesus had 
hastened to the entrance of the garden, in order to pro- 
tect His disciples, whom He had left there when He re- 
tired to pray. John recognized in this, a fulfillment of 
the saying in His last prayer, "Of them which Thou 
gavest Me have I lost none." There was a close con- 
nection between this temporal deliverance, and their 
eternal salvation. 

In these last words Jesus recognized the authority of 
the officers, and virtually surrendered Himself. This gave 
them courage to lay hands upon His person. We can 
not think of this indignity offered to the Son of God 
without horror; and we do not therefore wonder that 
the disciples, cried out : " Lord, shall we smite with the 
sword ? " Or that Peter, seeing that they were about to 
bind his Master, drew his sword, and aimed a deadly blow 
at the High Priest's servant, who was probably most for- 
ward and unfeeling in the perpetration of the outrage. 
Jesus reproved his rashness, saying : " Put up again thy 
sword into its place ; for all they that take the sword shall 
perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I can not now 
pray to My Father, and He shall presently give Me more 
than twelve legions of angels ? But how then shall the 
Scriptures be fulfilled that thus it must be ? The cup 
which my Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?" 
Had He not said, a little while before, in His agony : " 
My Father, if this cup may not pass away from Me, ex- 
cept I drink it, Thy will be done?" Having thus de- 
clared to men what He had before said to God, that He 
yielded Himself up to suffering and death, He healed the 
servant's ear. Thus the fiery and headlong but not 
" coward " Peter, escaped being arrested with his Master. 
Judged by an earthly standard, Peter was not only brave, 






692 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

but fool-hardy; for he drew his sword on this occasion, in 
the face of hundreds of armed men. But for the majesty 
of our Lord's presence, and the miracle, he would have 
been instantly cut down. That Koman cohort, we con- 
jecture, did not usually spare any who resisted them with 
drawn swords in the execution of their orders. 

Jesus, while patiently submitting to be bound, had a 
keen sense of the insulting cruelty of the treatment to 
which He was subjected. In words of true dignity He 
said to the multitude : "Are ye come out as against a thief, 
with swords and staves, to take me ? When I was daily 
with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands 
against Me ; but this is your hour, and the power of 
darkness." At this moment, the disciples, seeing their 
Master bound in the hands of His enemies, and inferring 
from His words that He would not deliver Himself out 
of their hands, suddenly forsook Him and fled. Two or 
three of them, including Peter and John, lingered near 
the place, and finally followed the procession into the 
city; but of the others we hear no more till after the 
resurrection. While, however, the apostles fled away 
into the darkness, there occurred an unexpected and 
touching instance of enthusiastic devotion. A young 
man, who, it seems, had been roused from his bed by the 
tumult, and had rushed out in his linen night-cloth, find- 
ing that Jesus had been seized by his enemies, fell into 
the procession, and drawn by love, followed the Lord, 
utterly forgetful of his half-naked condition. He was 
made sensible of his imprudence, when the young men 
of the crowd roughly laid hold of him. Eluding their 
grasp by leaving the linen cloth in their hands, he escaped 
by flight. Tradition says that this young man, was John 
Mark, the author of the second gospel, in which alone 
the incident is recorded. 

Behold the Son of man, with His hands bound together 



JESUS AT THE HIGH PRIEST'S PALACE. 693 

like those of a criminal, walking meekly amidst His ene- 
mies, towards the city-gate, and thence to the palace of 
the high priest ; perhaps we should not err if we called 
it the dwelling of the high priests • for both Annas and 
Caiaphas, his son-in-law, bore the title. The latter, as we 
have seen, was the legal and acting high priest • but the 
former wielded the real power belonging to the office, 
and was perhaps revered by the people as the high priest 
de jure. 

That we may understand the narrative as given by 
the several evangelists, it is necessary that we should 
frame some probable conception of the localities men- 
tioned. Though we do not know where the palace of the 
high priest was situated, its plan of construction was 
probably like that of other oriental houses. "An oriental 
house," says Dr. Edward Eobinson, "is usually built around 
a quadrangular interior court ; into which there is a pas- 
sage, sometimes arched, through the front part of the 
house, closed next the street by a heavy folding gate, with 
a smaller wicket for single persons, kept by a porter."* 
The house of Caiaphas was undoubtedly of this descrip- 
tion. The interior court is called by the evangelists the 
hall and the palace ; and the passage into the street be- 
neath the front of the house, the porch. It is almost cer- 
tain that Annas and Caiaphas resided in the same palace. 
Surely on such a night as this, Annas, the real ecclesiasti- 
cal head of the nation, if not, as many think, the actual 
president of the Sanhedrim, would be near his son-in- 
law, to direct his movements. It is quite probable that 
he occupied rooms in one wing of the palace, which 
must have been of considerable extent. To him Jesus 
was first taken, perhaps at His own request, possibly out 
of deference to his age and acknowledged preeminence 

* Harmony, note, page 207. 



694 • THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

in the hierarchy. Caiaphas was but his shadow and echo ; 
and it is impossible to decide from the inspired history 
when they acted separately and when together. 

After Jesus had disappeared within the gate of the pal- 
ace, two of His disciples, Peter, and another who is name- 
less* were following at a distance, the former lingering: 
behind the latter. Peter was agitated by conflicting emo- 
tions. He was irresistibly drawn by his love to his Mas- 
ter to the place of His trial; the feeling which prompted 
the exclamation, — " I am ready to go with Thee both into 
prison and to death," was yet in his heart; but he had 
now a vivid sense of the danger which threatened himself 
as well as his Lord. Did he not apprehend an encounter 
with Malchus, whose ear he had wounded, or with some 
one who had witnessed the blow ? That he followed afar 
off did not imply extraordinary timidity ; that he followed 
at all was a proof of unusual courage. The other disci- 
ple, who was known to the High Priest and his household, 
was admitted by the portress without hesitation; but 
Peter, a stranger, coming a moment later, was excluded. 
His fellow-disciple, finding that Peter had not followed 
him into the palace, returned, and by a word to the por- 
tress, secured his admission. 

The apostle, seeing a fire of coals, in the open court, 
sat down with the servants to warm himself, but his in- 
ward disquiet caused him soon to rise. Something in his 
manner having attracted the notice of the sharp-sighted 
portress, she came forward, and said, " This man was with 
Jesus of Nazareth? — Art thou not," she asked directly, 
" one of this man's disciples ? " — Peter's courage at once 
vanished, not, probably, because he apprehended danger 
by reason of his connection with Jesus, but rather in con- 

* Some say John, — why, except to enjoy the pleasure of guessing, I can 
not imagine. 



petek's denial. 695 

sequence of his attempt on the life of Malchus. Here, 
in the High Priest's house, among the fellow-servants of 
the man whom he had intended to slay, a recognition 
might cost him his life. This construction of Peter's mo- 
tives is not only charitable but just; and it ought not 
for a moment to be lost sight of in this narrative. Peter's 
first denial, though apparently strong, was in form a little 
ambiguous; "I know not what thou sayest." Pressed, 
perhaps, with other questions, he boldly declared that he 
knew not Jesus, and was not His disciple. It would seem 
that each so-called denial was made up of several denials 
on the same occasion. Having silenced the portress, Peter, 
conscience-stricken, resolved to retire ; but on reaching 
the porch, another maid, who perhaps had taken the place 
of the former at the gate, said to those who were stand- 
ing near, " This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth." 
Peter was now thoroughly alarmed; believing that he was 
an object of general suspicion, he denied with an oath 
any connection with the Lord. To avert suspicion, he 
determined to remain in the palace till he could with- 
draw without exciting attention. For a whole hour he 
continued in the hall, probably conversing with many, 
till at length his uncouth Galilean dialect — differing from 
the Aramean of Jerusalem like that of Yorkshire from 
the English of London and New York — again awakened 
suspicion. a What has brought a Galilean here, in the 
night, except his interest in the fate of Jesus ? His dis- 
ciples are all Galileans:" — so they seem to have reasoned. 
At length one of the company said to him, " Surely, thou 
art one of them ; thou art a Galilean ; for thy speech be- 
wrayeth thee." Peter, driven to extremity, broke out into 
horrible oaths, declaring, even swearing, that he knew not 
the man of whom they spoke. At that moment in the 
midst of his imprecations the cock crew, and Peter came 
to himself. At the same moment, Jesus, as He was led 



696 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

through the hall, turned and looked on Peter. That look 
broke hip heart. It was a look, not of anger, scarcely 
of reproach, but of divine grief and pity. Peter thought 
no longer of his personal danger, of the obstacles to his 
retreat, or of anything but his great sin. He who ought 
to have been ready to testify in behalf of his Master, 
had again and again denied Him even with oaths and 
execrations. The sin was indeed great; and when he 
thought thereon he wept. His repentance was deep and 
bitter, and it followed swiftly on the heels of his sin. 

Let not the warm-hearted, impulsive apostle be judged 
too harshly. He was, not a perfect Christian, but a brave 
and noble man. He had all those qualities which would 
have made a brilliant soldier, — daring, generosity, devo- 
tion ; he was ready to strike with the sword, even with 
fearful odds against him ; he followed Jesus into the midst 
of His enemies ; and we must not for a moment suppose 
that his denial was of the nature of treason, or renuncia- 
tion of his Lord. It was a stratagem intended to deceive 
his questioners and secure his personal safety. It was 
such a stratagem as many of our brave soldiers employed, 
during the late civil war, to save their lives when they 
fell into the hands of their enemies. How many of them 
denied that they were soldiers of the Union, and even 
professed to belong to the other party? We do not 
therefore call them cowards and traitors, but hold many 
of them in honor, as brave men and true. Peter fell into 
the thoroughly oriental sins of lying and swearing ; but it 
was, as he believed, to save his life. His deep, tender love 
to his Master, through the whole of that terrible trial, is 
apparent from the fact that one look from Jesus brought 
him instantly to repentance. All we can say is, that he 
was not as yet qualified for the crown of martyrdom. 
How could he have been when the Holy Ghost was not 
yet given? 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE TRIAL OF JESUS. 

JESUS BEFORE ANNAS — JESUS BEFORE THE SANHEDRIM. 

Matthew xxvi. 57-68; xxvh. 1-26. Mark xiv. 63-65; xv. 1-15. Luke xxii. 63-71; xxm. 1-25. 

Mention has been often made, in the course of this 
history, of the great council or court of the Jewish church, 
called the Sanhedrim. As Jesus is about to be put on 
trial before that body, it becomes important to explain 
its constitution, its powers, and its method of procedure. 
It was composed of seventy, some say seventy-one mem- 
bers, among whom were the chief priests, or heads of the 
twenty-four classes into which the priesthood was divided ; 
the elders, men of age and experience who were held in 
reverence for wisdom ; and the scribes, who had made the 
law a special study. The High Priest, and those who had 
filled the office, were members ex officio. The officers 
of this court were the president, often if not always, 
the High Priest ; the vice-president, who was called the 
father of the hall of judgment ; and two secretaries, one 
of whom recorded the votes for acquittal, fjid the other, 
those for condemnation. The usual place of meeting was 
a stone chamber, called Gazith, at the south-east angle of 
the temple enclosure, though on extraordinary occasions 
the court assembled at the palace of the High Priest. 
The members sat in the form of a semicircle, in front of 
the president and vice-president. The jurisdiction of this 



698 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

court extended to all ecclesiastical offenses, especially to 
idolatry, blasphemy, and religious imposture, as by false 
prophets and false Christs. Not many years before the 
trial of our Lord, the power of life and death had been 
taken away from the Sanhedrim, and vested in the Roman 
procurator. The Talmud says that this change was made 
forty years previous to the destruction of Jerusalem. 
Consequently, in the time of Christ, this tribunal could 
do no more than pass sentence of death; its execution 
depended on the will of the governor. 

The proceedings of the Sanhedrim were ordinarily con- 
ducted in strict accordance with established rules and 
precedents. It was an essential rule that no capital case 
should be tried at a night session; and that sentence 
should not be pronounced till after at least one adjourn- 
ment. Both these rules were violated in the trial of our 
Lord. The members regarded His case as extraordinary, 
and they hurried through it, lest their purpose should be 
frustrated by a sudden rising of the people. They had 
in fact prejudged the case. It had been long before de- 
termined that Jesus should die ; and the judicial process 
now pushed to an issue was intended to throw a decent 
veil over the murder. 

It was probably two o'clock in the morning when Jesus 
was brought before the hoary inquisitor, Annas. It seems 
probable that he, and not Caiaphas, conducted the pre- 
liminary and comparatively private examination. It was 
his purpose to draw from Jesus Himself something which 
might be mc.de the ground of a formal accusation. He 
therefore questioned Him touching the matter of His 
teaching, and the number of His disciples. He assumed 
that Jesus had a secret doctrine, and that He was the 
head of a secret society. This- insinuation our Lord re- 
pelled. " I spake openly to the world ; I ever taught in 
the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews 



THE TEIAL OF JESUS. 699 

always resort ; and in secret have I said nothing." This 
was strictly true ; for though Jesus had taugiit His disci- 
ples privately, He had taught no secret doctrine ; but on 
the contrary had uniformly charged them to proclaim 
openly what they had thus learned. In His answer to 
Annas He declined to say what He had taught ; for He 
saw that a snare was laid for Him, perhaps also for His 
disciples. a Why askest thou Me ? Ask them who heard 
Me, what I have said unto them ; behold they know what 
I said " At this moment one of the officers who had 
Jesus in custody struck Him, probably on the mouth, with 
his open hand, saying, "Answerest Thou the high priest 
so?" The Lord, exemplifying His own precept,* calmly 
said, a If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil ; 
but if well, why smitest thou Me ? " That blow on the 
face of the Lamb of God still sounds through the world. 
Consider: He stood there bound. 

Annas did not reprove or punish the unlawful outrage ; 
but finding that he could elicit nothing of importance 
from the Prisoner, sent Him in His bonds, — adding per- 
haps, another chain — to Caiaphas.f It was probably while 
Jesus was passing through the court or hall, on His way to 
the apartments of Caiaphas, that He turned and looked 
on Peter, who had just denied Him for the third time. It 
must have been now between three and four o'clock in 
the morning. 

Meanwhile the members of the Sanhedrim had been 
assembling, having been summoned perhaps by special 
messengers. There seems to have been a full attendance ; 
and they came together for earnest work. What was to 
be done was well understood ; but how to do it occasioned 



* Matthew v. 39. 

f John xviii. 24. "Annas sent Him bound" — not " had sent" as in 
the authorized version. 



TOO THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

them no little perplexity. It was necessary that some 
distinct a<ymsation should be brought forward ; and that 
the crime charged should be a capital one. Now Jesus 
had, according to the bigoted views of the Pharisees, been 
guilty of breaking the Sabbath by healing on that day; 
and He had professed to forgive sins, which they con- 
strued as blasphemy; but these were not offenses which 
they ventured to prosecute before such a tribunal as the 
Sanhedrim, composed in part of Sadducees. Yet it seemed 
easier to establish a charge of blasphemy than any other ; 
and this seems to have been the substance, at least, of 
the indictment on which He was tried. Many witnesses 
were brought forward; but their testimony was so con- 
tradictory that they were speedily put aside. Though 
Jesus was silent and had no advocate, His judges felt 
that He could not be convicted without positive proof of 
some overt offense. Among other witnesses, two came for- 
ward, who testified that they heard him say on one occa- 
sion: "I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, 
and within three days I will build another made without 
hands." These men had probably been present in the 
temple, some three years before, when Jesus in answer 
to the demand of the Jews for a sign said to them : " De- 
stroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up ;"* 
and it is barely possible that they understood Him as ut- 
tering a threat against the temple, which many at least 
would have regarded as blasphemy; but the Sanhedrim 
saw not only that the witnesses did not agree in report- 
ing His words, but that, if really spoken, those words were 
at worst but a vain-glorious boast, and in no sense blas- 
phemous. No other witnesses appearing, the High Priest, 
perplexed and alarmed, started from his seat, and said to 
Jesusj: "Answerest Thou nothing? What is it which 



*Johnxi 19. 



THE TRIAL OF JESUS. 701 

these "witness against Thee?" Jesus was still silent. 
Then Caiaphas, availing himself of a prerogative of his 
office, put the Lord under oath : " I adjure Thee by the 
living God that Thou tell us whether Thou be the Christ, 
the Son of God ?" Thus adjured by the theocratic head 
of the nation, Jesus answered : " I am ; and ye shall 

SEE THE SON OF MAN SITTING ON THE RIGHT HAND OF 
POWER AND COMING IN THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN." 

Let it be noted that these words were spoken by our 
Lord, under oath, when on trial for His life. He knew 
when He uttered them, that He sealed His own doom, so 
far as it lay in the hands of His judges. His person and 
mission had been to multitudes in His own day, as it is to 
multitudes in ours, a mystery. He had once before said in 
so many words, i" am the Christ, but it had been to a Sa- 
maritan woman; and He had permitted His disciples to 
profess their faith in Him as the Christ, the Son of the 
living God ; but He had charged them to tell no man ; 
and it would have been impossible for the Sanhedrim to 
prove that He claimed to be the Messiah. They were, 
indeed, morally certain that He had put Himself before 
the people in that character ; but they were compelled, 
at last, to seek for legal evidence at His own lips. 

It is extremely doubtful whether a declaration that He 
was the Christ would in itself be accounted blasphemy; 
but when joined to the assertion of His Divine Sonship, it 
might easily seem to rise into that fearful sin. On a 
former occasion the Jews had " sought to kill Him, be- 
cause He had not only broken the Sabbath, but said also 
that God was His Father, making Himself equal with 
God ; " * and when afterwards He said in terms still more 
explicit : " I and My Father are one," they took up stones 
to stone Him, saying : " We stone Thee for blasphemy, and 



*Jolin v. 18. 



702 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 






because that Thou, being a man, makest Thyself God." * 
These instances prove conclusively that the Jews regarded 
the assertion of His Divine Sonship as tantamount to a 
declaration of His Deity. Had this been a gross misun- 
derstanding of His words, our Lord would surely have set 
them right. Had He only meant to say that He was a 
Son of God, He could easily have removed from their 
minds the terrible prejudice by which they were over- 
mastered. But they had not misunderstood Him; and 
He virtually declared that they had not. 

It is indeed doubtful whether the Jews believed that 
the Messiah would be the Son of God in this high and 
peculiar sense, but it is certain that the High Priest, who 
had heard how constantly Jesus spoke of God as His 
Father, intended by his artful question to draw from Him a 
declaration of His Divinity as well as of His Messiahship. 
And such a declaration, even more full and explicit than 
he could have expected, followed his solemn and authori- 
tative adjuration. Jesus then and there calmly witnessed 
that He was the Christ, the Son of the Blessed ; that He 
was God manifest in the flesh ; that He was the rightful 
King and Judge of the world. Hearing His words, the 
High Priest rent his clothes; and not waiting for the 
formal verdict of the Sanhedrim, pronounced Him guilty 
of blasphemy. By a unanimous vote He was sentenced to 
death. Jesus, silent and bound, was now subjected to cruel 
indignities. They spat upon Him ; they blindfolded Him, 
and then buffeted and smote Him with the palms of their 
hands, saying : u Prophesy unto us, Thou Christ ; who is 
it that smote Thee ? " a He was oppressed, and He was 
afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth ; He is brought as 
a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers 
is dumb, so He opened not His mouth." t 

* John x. 30. f Isaiah liii. 7. 



THE TRIAL OF JESUS. 703 

This meeting of the Sanhedrim was irregular in re- 
spect both to time and place. To give legal effect to the 
proceedings, the judges deemed it necessary to hold a 
formal session in the morning. They therefore led Him, 
apparently in a large and formal procession, from the 
High Priest's palace into their own council chamber on 
the temple mount. At this session they examined no 
witnesses, but questioned our Lord Himself: "Art Thou 
the Christ? tell us." They did not now ask Him whether 
He was the Son of God ; for they were now anxious to 
give a political complexion to His offense. They were 
about to carry the case to Pilate, the procurator; and 
they knew how little importance he would attach to a 
charge of blasphemy. Jesus, perceiving their purpose, 
gave a less explicit answer than they expected : " If I 
tell you, ye will not believe. And if I also ask you, ye 
will not answer Me, nor let Me go. Hereafter shall the 
Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God." 
Your interrogations are all intended, not to satisfy your 
minds in regard to My guilt or innocence, but to bring 
about My death. You have prejudged My case ; you 
have determined on My death ; but be assured that here- 
after I shall be the Judge and you the culprits at My 
bar. My judicial function will be exercised in that world 
to which yours will not extend. He called Himself now 
the Son of man ; not the Messiah, or the Son of God. 
"Art Thou, then," they asked, "the Son of God? And 
He said unto them, Ye say that I am ; " or, I am. It is 
necessary that He should solemnly declare again and 
again, His true character ; for it must appear that they 
rejected and condemned Him in that character. And 
this they did not shrink from doing: "What need we 
any further witnesses ? for we ourselves have heard of 
His own mouth." The sentence of death followed as a 
matter of course. 



704 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

They must at this stage of their proceedings have 
sorely felt their national humiliation. They could, in- 
deed, pass sentence, but they could not carry it into effect 
without an express order from the procurator, Pontius 
Pilate. The case must be carried to him. What they 
knew of his character, and of Roman law, seems to have 
caused them some misgivings touching the issue of their 
prosecution ; but they had among them cunning and de- 
termined men, who devised a plan of procedure which 
could scarcely fail of success. This was to go in a body 
to Pilate, inform him that they had tried the prisoner and 
condemned Him to death, and request his approval of 
the sentence. They probably hoped that he would grant 
their request without any investigation of the charges. 
Should this fail, they resolved to accuse Him, not of 
blasphemy, a light offense in the eyes of a Eoman magis- 
trate, but of crimes against civil order and the authority 
of the emperor. Meanwhile, we can not doubt that their 
emissaries were instructed to stir up the mob of Jerusa- 
lem to clamor for the death of Jesus. To effect this, 
nothing more would be necessary than to report that 
He had been convicted by the Sanhedrim of blasphemy. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

JESUS BEFORE PILATE AND HEROD. 

POLITICAL CONDITION OF JUDEA AT THIS TIME — THE OFFICE OF PROCU- 
RATOR — PONTIUS PILATE — HIS ANTECEDENTS — HIS CHARACTER — JESUS 
IS BROUGHT BEFORE HIM — EXAMINATION — HEROD — PILATE'S FRUITLESS 
STRUGGLE TO RELEASE JESUS — DELIVERS HIM TO BE CRUCIFIED — 
JUDAS. 

Matthew xxvii. 1-30. Mark xv. 1-19. Luke xxni. 1-25. John xviii. 28-40 ; xrx. 1-16. 

Judea was at this time a subordinate division of the 
great province of Syria, and was governed by a procurator 
who was responsible to the proconsul. Though a procu- 
rator was in most cases but the fiscal agent of the emperor, 
authorized to collect the revenue and to act as judge in 
causes connected with it, he was not seldom the head of 
the administration, both civil and military. 

The procurator of Judea, in the time of our Lord, was 
Pontius Pilate. Of his history little is known, but that 
little warrants the belief that he was a Roman officer of 
average capacity, deeply imbued with the pride and prej- 
udices of his class, and resolute, sometimes cruel, in 
asserting the rights of his imperial master, and in main- 
taining his personal authority. Appointed procurator in 
the twelfth year of Tiberius, (A. D. 25-6) by one of his 
first acts, he outraged, through ignorance or contempt, 
the deepest convictions and prejudices of the Jewish 
heart. In removing his head-quarters from Cesarea to 
Jerusalem, he permitted if he did not order his soldiers 

to carry their standards, bearing the ima^e of the emperor, 
45 



706 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

into the Holy City. As soon as the sacrilege — so the Jews 
regarded it — was known, the people flocked in crowds 
to Cesarea, and besought Pilate to remove the images. 
After resisting their importunity five clays, during which 
he seems to have seriously meditated the general mas- 
sacre with which he threatened them, he yielded, and 
ordered the standards back to Cesarea. At another time 
he nearly drove the Jews to insurrection by suspending 
in his palace at Jerusalem, some gilt shields inscribed 
with the names of Roman gods. These were removed by 
the command of Tiberius himself. At the time of a riot, 
caused by his diverting the sacred revenue arising from 
the redemption of vows, to a secular purpose, he sent 
among the multitude many soldiers armed with concealed 
daggers, who killed a great number, not only of the 
rioters but of casual spectators. To this must be added 
the slaughter of the " Galileans whose blood Pilate had 
mingled with their sacrifices." # We infer from these 
facts that Pilate was of a severe, tyrannical temper ; and 
it is by no means improbable that he had come to regard 
the nation with contempt for its fanaticism and hatred 
for its stubborn and rebellious spirit. He was too ex- 
perienced a politician and soldier not to know that he 
was standing on a volcano which was every moment 
ready to burst into terrible activity. He was on his 
guard against the Jewish rulers, in whom the old Mac- 
cabean spirit was not quite extinct. His attitude of mind 
was, in general, that of resistance to all their demands. 
He had been compelled on some occasions to yield and 
temporize ; but he did it with reluctance ; and he never 
forgave them the humiliations to which he was thus sub- 
jected. It was the custom of the procurator, during the 
great festivals, to reside at Jerusalem, with a military force 

* Luke xiii. 1 . 



JESUS BEFORE PILATE AND HEROD. 707 

sufficient to overawe the turbulent multitude and prompt- 
ly repress any riotous or insurrectionary outbreak. He 
was of course present at this feast of the Passover. 

The members of the Sanhedrim having passed judg- 
ment on Jesus, led Him away bound to the palace of 
Pilate. As the great festival had but just commenced, 
and as they would have contracted ceremonial defilement 
by entering the house of a Gentile, and thus disqualified 
themselves for the feast, they remained without while 
Pilate was notified of their coming. It is not unlikely 
that he was roused from his bed by their messenger; 
but when he was told that the Sanhedrim in a body, with 
the High Priest at their head, were waiting at his gate, 
he could not well refuse to go forth to meet them. He 
must, one would think, have been surprised when he saw 
what sort of prisoner they had brought to his tribunal. 
It has been made a question whether Pilate had ever 
heard of Jesus. That he had no personal knowledge of 
Him is probable, but he could hardly have been ignorant 
of a great popular movement like that which sprang from 
the teachings and miracles of our Lord, — a movement 
in continuous connection with the ministry of John the 
Baptist, and having avowed reference to the King of 
Israel, the long-expected Messiah. We incline to the be- 
lief that Pilate had been well informed touching the ex- 
ternal facts in the career of Jesus, and that he had come 
to regard Him as a religious enthusiast and reformer who, 
by His novel doctrines and bold rebukes, had drawn upon 
Himself the wrath of the Jewish rulers. He must have 
known of His triumphal entry; and he had probably sent 
the " band " or cohort to assist in arresting Him. But he 
certainly was not prejudiced against Him; perhaps he 
had even a certain sympathy with Him, as the leader of 
a party opposed to the Pharisees and rulers. When, there- 
fore, he saw Him standing at his gate, a prisoner in chains. 



708 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

especially when he saw the gentleness and majesty of His 
person, bearing marks of the blows which He had re- 
ceived, He probably not only recognized Him as the far- 
famed Prophet of Nazareth, bnt decided in his own mind 
that He was innocent, and that He should not die. 

"What accusation," said he to the Sanhedrim, "bring 
ye against this Man?" It must have been either Caia- 
phas, or Annas, who answered in behalf of the body: "If 
He were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered 
Him unto thee." It was a haughty answer. " It is surely 
sufficient that we, the Sanhedrim, have tried Him and 
found Him guilty of capital crimes. This ought to satisfy 
you of His guilt," Pilate knows his men ; he penetrates 
their plot ; his lip curls in scorn ; he replies in words of 
terrible irony, " Take ye Him, and judge Him according 
to your law." "Is it so indeed? Am I merely to con- 
firm your sentence, without being allowed to decide on 
the merits of the case ? Then finish what you have so 
well begun. You can dispense altogether with my au- 
thority." The leaders are suddenly checkmated, even in 
their first move. " It is not lawful for us," they acknowl- 
edge, not without ill-concealed rage, " it is not lawful for 
us to put any man to death." Compelled at last to pre- 
sent definite charges, they carefully conceal the charge of 
blasphemy on which they had convicted Him, and bring 
forward a totally different indictment: "We found this 
fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give trib- 
ute to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King." 
Pilate must have regarded this as a strange accusation 
to come from them. When had they before prosecuted 
any man for forbidding the payment of the imperial trib- 
ute, or for stirring up the nation against the Eoman su- 
premacy? Whence this sudden outburst of loyal feeling 
in the Jewish hierarchy towards the emperor? And as 
Pilate looked at Jesus, standing there silent and bound, he 



JESUS BEFOEE PILATE AND HEEOD. 709 

probably did not regard Him as a dangerous rival to Caesar. 
However, the charge was so serious that Pilate was com- 
pelled to go through the form, at least, of an investiga- 
tion. He therefore retired to his judgment hall in the 
palace, and directed Jesus to follow him. 

When they were alone, Pilate, perhaps not in an un- 
kind but rather in a half-contemptuous tone, asked "Art 
Thou the King of the Jews ?" The form of the question 
shows that Pilate had already heard more of Jesus than 
the Sanhedrim had just told him. They had accused Him 
of saying that He was Christ, a King. Pilate's question 
looks as though he had heard the particulars of the tri- 
umphal entry. Who indeed shall say but he may have 
witnessed that strange procession, when Jesus entered 
the city on an ass, and the people shouted hosanna to 
Him as the Son of David ? If so, he had penetrated the 
peaceful spirit of the movement, which he could not have 
regarded as dangerous, though perhaps it struck him as 
absurd. "Art Thou the King of the Jews ?" There was 
perhaps a touch of real interest in the tone of the procu- 
rator. The heart of the stern man was awed and soft- 
ened by the countenance and bearing of the prisoner at 
his bar. He had seen much of crime and depravity, but 
he had never before sat in judgment on such a defend- 
ant. Jesus saw the momentary emotion of His judge, and 
said to him, "Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did 
others tell it thee of Me ?" "Is your question prompted 
by your own desire to know whether I am really the 
King of the Jews, or do you ask it merely as a magistrate 
because it has been charged upon Me that I make Mj^self 
a king ?" The wrath of Pilate flashes out at the suspicion 
that he felt a personal interest in the matter : " Am I a 
Jew ? Thine own nation, and the chief priests, have de- 
livered Thee unto me: what hast Thou done?" Pilate's 
moment of grace is passed. Jesus calmly, in words of sin- 



710 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

gular majesty, answers, " My kingdom is not of this world : 
if My kingdom were of this world, then would My servants 
fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but 
now is My kingdom not from hence." This agrees with 
what Pilate has heard of the lowly and peaceful bearing 
of Jesus, but he presses the question, "Art Thou a king, 
then ?" Jesus replies, " Yes, as thou eayest, I am a king. 
To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the 
world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every 
one that is of the truth heareth My voice." 

We picture to ourselves the governor, gazing with 
blended wonder, awe and pity on his prisoner. He seems 
to whisper to himself: "Yes, it is as I thought; this Jew, 
so unlike any other I ever saw, is at worst but a visionary 
enthusiast. Like our own Stoics He believes that there 
is such a thing as truth; and that by the truth one may 
truly reign without legions or treasures. They are all 
alike deluded. There is no truth for man : truth — truth — 
what is truth?" This last he said aloud, but "stayed 
not for an answer." Going forth to the gate, He said to 
the Jews, "I find in Him no fault at all." The chief 
priests and elders at once broke forth in a storm of accu- 
sations. Pilate, seeing that Jesus was silent, said to Him, 
"Hearest Thou not how many things they witness against 
Thee ? Answerest Thou nothing ? " Still Jesus was silent. 
Again Pilate declared to the infuriated multitude, "I find 
no fault in this Man." At this second declaration of 
our Lord's innocence, they were more furious than ever, 
crying out, "He stirreth up the people, teaching through- 
out all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place." 
Hearing them mention Galilee Pilate inquired whether 
Jesus were a Galilean, and when told that He was, deter- 
mined to send Him immediately to Herod An tipas, who was 
then in Jerusalem attending the Passover. Between the 
tetrarch and himself there was some kind of quarrel; and 



JESUS BEFORE PILATE AND HEROD. 711 

Pilate hoped by this act of courtesy to conciliate Herod, 
and at the same time to transfer to him, a Jewish prince, 
a responsibility which he was beginning to feel painful. 

Herod, whose vain and frivolous yet cruel temper we 
have seen displayed in his treatment of John the Baptist, 
seems to have recovered, if indeed he ever lost, his gay 
and courtly humor since the murder of the prophet. He 
had long burned with curiosity to see and converse with 
Jesus, of whose miracles he had heard such startling 
reports as to awaken in his superstitious mind the thought 
that perhaps He was the Baptist himself, risen from the 
dead. When therefore Jesus was brought to him he was 
overjoyed. Not only was his pride flattered by such an 
attention from a haughty Roman official, but he hoped to 
prevail on Jesus to do some miracle in his presence. He 
had no thought of trying Him, much less of condemning 
Him to death ; for he well knew that Jesus was guilty of 
no crime against civil society; he only hoped to amuse 
himself for a passing hour, with the signs and wonders of 
the Galilean miracle-worker. But he was disappointed. 
Though he asked many questions, Jesus answered him not 
a word. He knew that this perfidious, frivolous, blood- 
stained prince, could not be reached by the voice of truth, 
and as his fate was to be determined at another tribunal, 
He held His peace. Annoyed and wearied by His obsti- 
nate silence, Herod and his men of war derided and mocked 
Him for a time, and then arraying Him in a gorgeous robe, 
probably the white robe of victory, they sent Him back 
to Pilate. It is emphatically stated by Luke, that "the 
same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together." 

Pilate, then, can not shake off the responsibility. He 
therefore calls together the Sanhedrim and the multitude 
with the purpose of giving a definite judgment in the 
case. He seems to have determined on a compromise 
which he hoped would satisfy, but which in fact displeased 



712 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 






all parties. It was the custom with the Koman governors, 
derived probably from the Jews themselves, to release a 
prisoner at the Passover, — a custom, perhaps, originally 
intended to commemorate the deliverance of the nation 
from Egyptian bondage. Pilate proposed to take advan- 
tage of this custom to secure the release of Jesus, not 
doubting that the multitude, whom he had summoned 
with the priests and rulers, would select Him whom they 
had so recently hailed with hosannas, in preference to any 
other prisoner. With this view, he said to them: "Ye 
have brought this Man unto me as one that perverteth 
the people ; and behold, I, having examined Him before 
you, have found no fault in this Man, touching those 
things whereof ye accuse Him ; no, nor yet Herod ; for I 
sent you to him ; and lo, nothing worthy of death is done 
unto Him. I will therefore chastise Him and release Him." 
It was at this moment, probably, that the Jerusalem 
mob, — it is impossible to believe that many Galileans 
were present — set on by their leaders, began to clamor for 
the release, according to custom, of the Passover prisoner. 
Pilate then proposed to them two prisoners, Barabbas, 
who had been the ringleader in an insurrection, and 
was even 1 stained with the guilt of murder; and Jesus, 
calling upon them to choose between them : " Whom will 
ye that I release unto you, Barabbas, or Jesus, who is 
called Christ?" Having caused his judgment-seat to be 
set up on the pavement in front of the palace, Pilate now 
sat down to await the decision of the people. Mean- 
while he received a startling message from his wife, whose 
name as preserved by tradition, was Procla or Procula: 
" Have thou nothing to do with that just Man ; for I have 
suffered many things this day in a dream because of 
Him." It is a circumstance in Pilate's favor as a man, 
that he was on such terms with such a woman that she 
could venture to send him this message even in public. 



JESUS BEFORE PILATE AND HEROD. 713 

How much would we give to know her subsequent history ! 
Like all truly noble women of that and all other ages, 
she was drawn to Jesus. Did she see Him through a 
lattice as He stood before the palace ? 

The people have made their election. The priests and 
rulers, passing rapidly among the multitude, persuade 
them to call for the release of Barabbas, the revolutionist, 
the robber, the murderer. To the amazement and horror 
of Pilate, the cry suddenly breaks on his ears, " Not this 
Man, but Barabbas ! Not this Man, but Barabbas ! " Pi- 
late condescends to expostulate : "Why, what evil hath He 
done ?" All in vain; the cry is still, "Not this Man, but 
Barabbas!" "What shall I do then with Jesus who is 
called Christ?" Can he believe his ears? The answer 
comes in yells, " Crucify Him ! Crucify Him ! " What, will 
nothing satisfy them but the horrible death of the cross ? 
" I will chastise Him," says the governor, " and let Him 
go." Again the yell of the blood-thirsty mob, "Crucify 
Him ! Crucify Him ! " drowns his expostulations. He re- 
solves to appeal to them in another way. Washing his 
hands before them, he said, " I am innocent of the blood 
of this just person." Then broke forth the cry, which has 
made all the nations shudder ever since : "His blood be on 
us and on our children ! " Pilate, hearing this, released Ba- 
rabbas, and gave formal sentence that Jesus should be cruci- 
fied. Perhaps, however, he still hoped to save His life. He 
knew the quick transition of feeling in a great multitude, 
and he hoped that, after a little, a better mind would prevail. 

It was the custom that persons doomed to the cross 
should first be scourged ; and the scourging was often 
so severe, or rather brutal, that the victims died under 
it. Jesus, who all this time had not uttered a word, was 
led away into the Pretorium to be scourged. The sounds 
of the scourge falling on that holy body are in our ears 
even now. But what is this ? What is it they are put- 



714 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

ting on His head ? It is shaped like a crown, but as they 
crush it down, it tears His brows, and the blood overflows 
His face. And see ! He is already arrayed in a scarlet 
robe, and a reed is forced into His right hand. They 
bow the knee ; they cry, Hail, King of the Jews ; they 
smite Him on the head ; they spit upon Him. Now, 
Pilate thinks, is the time to make a last appeal in His 
behalf. Leading Him forth in His purple robe, with His 
crown of thorns and His mock scepter, Pilate says to them, 
"Behold, I bring Him forth to you, that ye may know that 
I fi^d no fault in Him." Pointing to Jesus, bound and 
gory, he exclaims, "Behold the Man!" Surely, he thinks, 
these cannibals will ask no more. And it is remarkable, 
that the multitude no longer clamor for His death, but the 
u chief priests and officers " cry, " Crucify Him ! Crucify 
Him ! " Pilate, in wrath, says to them, " Take ye Him and 
crucify Him ; for I find no fault in Him." 

At last they disclose the real cause of their implacable 
hatred : " We have a law, and by our law He ought to 
die, because He made Himself the Son of God." Pilate 
is terrified when he learns that their demand for the death 
of Jesus has a religious motive. He has had experience 
of their invincible obstinacy in all cases which concern 
their religion. Leading Jesus back into the judgment- 
hall, he inquires, " Whence art Thou ? " There is no answer. 
The governor exclaims, "Speakest Thou not unto me? 
Knowest Thou not that I have power to crucify Thee, and 
have power to release Thee?" Once more Jesus opens 
His lips : " Thou couldest have no power at all against Me, 
unless it were given thee from above ; therefore he that 
delivered Me unto thee hath the greater sin." Pilate 
is strangely impressed with the words. He again resolves 
to save Him. But the Jews, seeing his purpose, ap- 
peal to his fear: "If thou let this Man go, thou art 
not Caesar's friend. Whosoever maketh himself a king 



JESUS BEFORE PILATE AND HEROD. 715 

speaketh against Caesar." They give him distinctly to 
understand that he must either crucify Jesus or defend 
himself before the jealous Tiberius. Pilate is conscious 
that that will never do for him. Again he sits down in 
his judgment-seat, Jesus standing near him. "Behold 
your King!" he cries. "Away with Him, away with Him, 
Crucify Him, Crucify Him." Pilate, in a tone of mourn- 
ful yet terrible irony, asks them, "Shall I crucify your 
King ? " Then, preferring the gloomy, perfidious, infamous, 
cruel Tiberius, to the Son of David, they loudly protest, 
"We have no king but Cesar." They have finally, irre- 
vocably rejected their long-promised Messiah; and now 
Pilate, representing then and there the Gentile world, 
delivers Him up to be crucified. 

A lofty mountain overhangs the fair lake of Luzerne, 
around which the storms almost continually howl and 
moan. There is a wild legend which says that this 
mountain, called Pilate, was the dwelling-place, during 
his banishment, long after our Saviour's death, of the un- 
happy man whose name it bears ; that there he died ; and 
that there his lost ghost vents its undying remorse in de- 
spairing shrieks and wailings. Such is the impression 
which his unspeakable crime has made on the mind of 
Christendon. Perhaps however, of all the actors in that 
awful tragedy, he was the least guilty. 

This is a fitting place to record the miserable end of 
the traitor Judas. When he saw that Jesus was con- 
demned to be crucified, he was seized with remorse and 
despair. Hastening to the temple, he confessed to the 
priests and elders his sin in betraying the innocent blood, 
cast down the thirty pieces of silver, and went and hanged 
himself. The suicide was accompanied by some horrible 
circumstances, which we refrain from describing * 

*Actsi. 18, 19. 



CHAPTER XIV. 
THE CRUCIFIXION AND BURIAL. 

PLACE OF OUR LORD'S CRUCIFIXION AND BURIAL — PREPARATIONS — THE 
PROCESSION — SIMON OF CYRENE — "DAUGHTERS OF JERUSALEM'" — 
JESUS CRUCIFIED — PRAYER FOR HIS ENEMIES — THE TWO MALEFAC- 
TORS — THE PENITENT ROBBER — MATER DOLOROSA — THE DARKNESS — 

JESUS ATHIRST — GIVES UP THE GHOST PIERCING OF HIS SIDE — HIS 

BURIAL. 

Matthew xxvn. 31-66. Mark xv. 20-47. Luke xxhi. 26-56. John xix. 16-42. 

We do not here enter into the controversy touching 
the place of our Lord's crucifixion and burial. The ques- 
tion is undoubtedly an interesting one to scholars, but has 
the slightest possible bearing on the great facts of our 
history. It is sufficient to note that the present state of 
the discussion seems to promise, that the uniform tradi- 
tion of the church,, which locates Calvary and the Holy 
Sepulchre within the present city walls, will be sustained 
by the general suffrage of the learned. It is well nigh 
proved that these localities were just beyond the walls 
of the ancient city, and but a short distance from the 
temple-mount and the palace of Pilate. It is probable 
that the present Via Dolorosa, running westward from 
Moriah, is really the sorrowful way by which our Lord 
was led forth to be crucified. He must needs be put 
to death without the gates. This was required by the 
Roman custom as well as by Jewish law. The execu- 
tion was entrusted by Pilate to a band of soldiers, com- 
manded by a centurion. The preparations were speedily 



THE CRUCIFIXION. 717 

completed. The cross, constructed of transverse beams, 
thus, -[■ was soon in readiness. A white tablet with an 
inscription or title, in Hebrew, Greek and Latin was pre- 
pared to be borne either before the Saviour, or suspended 
from His neck. This title, overlooked by the Jews till it 
was fastened on the cross, was framed by Pilate in a spirit 
of scornful revenge and mockery, not towards Jesus but 
the nation, and especially the Sanhedrim, by whom He 
had been compelled to give judgment contrary to his 
own clear and oft-expressed convictions. The title — va- 
ried doubtless in the several languages in which it was 
written, ran thus: — '-'This is Jesus of Nazareth the 
Kixg of the Jews." 

All things being ready, the soldiers laid the cross on 
Jesus, already weak with scourging and fasting, and ex- 
hausted by His solitary agony in the garden. But He 
bowed His shoulder to the burden, and the mournful pro- 
cession moved forward. A probable tradition marks the 
spot near the gate of the city where He sank under the 
load. It happened just then that a certain Simon of 
Cyrene, in Africa, approached the place, and he was im- 
pressed by the soldiers — their centurion, perhaps, already 
touched with compassion towards his prisoner — and made 
to bear the cross after Jesus. Simon was most blessed in 
this cross-bearing. He probably became a disciple from 
that day, and his two sons, Alexander and Rufus, were 
well known and honored by the apostolic church. It 
may even be true that he was the Simeon Niger, men- 
tioned in Acts xiii. 1, as among the leading ministers of 
the church in Antioch. # However this may be, he had 
the sole honor of bearing our Lord's cross to the place of 
His crucifixion. 

We think of Jesus at this time as surrounded with 

* See Melville's Sermon on Simon the Cyrenian. 



718 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

hooting, blaspheming enemies; and doubtless His weary 
march to Calvary was one protracted scene of insult and 
outrage ; but there was, notwithstanding, a great multi- 
tude, especially of women, — mostly, too, it would seem, 
women of Jerusalem — who bewailed and lamented Him. 
Jesus, forgetful of His own sufferings, and keenly alive to 
every demonstration of loving sympathy, turned to them 
and said, " Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but 
weep for yourselves and for your children. For, behold, 
the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed 
are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the 
paps which never gave suck. Then shall they begin to 
say to the mountains, Fall on us ; and to the hills, Cover 
us. For if they do these things in a green tree, what 
shall be done in the dry ?" 

Having reached an open place — probably a low, rounded 
eminence resembling a human skull, the soldiers offered 
Him a cup of sour wine mingled with bitter, stupefying 
drugs. In His thirst He took the cup ; but having tasted 
it and perceiving its intoxicating properties, He rejected 
it. Not thus would He fortify His failing humanity against 
the agonies of the cross. Without delay the fearful work 
proceeded. The cross having been fixed in the earth, the 
soldiers stripped Jesus of His garments, and raising Him 
up to the cross, bound His arms and His feet to the wood. 
Then followed the crowning horror, the driving of the 
long, sharp nails through those hands which had only 
been employed to bless mankind, and through those feet 
which had trod the earth only on ministries of mercy. 
No shriek of pain escapes His lips; but as the nails go 
crashing through bones and flesh, nerves and tendons, He 
prays, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what 
they do." The deed is done ; the Son of God, the Lord 
of glory, Immanuel, is crucified. 



THE CKUCIFIXION. 719 

Two notorious thieves, or rather robbers, are crucified 
at the same time, one on His right hand and the other on 
His left. We conjecture that they had been connected 
with Barabbas in his insurrection, and that Pilate ordered 
them to the cross to spite the Jews. His wrathful mood 
was clearly disclosed in the superscription which was now 
fastened over the head of Jesus. Up to this moment, 
probably it had not been noticed by the Jews ; but when 
they read it they ran into the city to inform the chief 
priests, who perhaps went forth to verify the report. 
Full of indignation, they hastened to Pilate, and requested 
him to change the title so that it should read, " He said I 
am the King of the Jews." Pilate, with true Roman 
haughtiness, replied, " What I have written, I have writ- 
ten." He had deliberately put a terrible meaning into 
the superscription: "Thus ends Jewish nationality." 
There was a deep prophecy in the words, which he did not 
understand. Meanwhile, the soldiers divided among them- 
selves the garments of Jesus, disposing of His seamless 
coat, or inner garment, by lot. u And they watched Him 
there." 

Those who have courage to look may gaze on the Son 
of man in His mortal pain. That He should suffer in 
majestic patience and silence, does not surprise us ; but 
that any in that crowd should deride His agonies strikes 
us as too horrible for belief. But see ! His enemies pass 
to and fro before His face, wagging their heads, and 
shouting in mockery, "Ah, Thou that destroyest the 
temple and buildest it in three days, save Thyself. If 
Thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross!" 
This is the catch-word of the brutal mob. The priests 
and scribes — for they too are there — are more refined 
and ingenious in their taunts : " He saved others ; Him- 
self He can not save. Let Christ the King of Israel 
descend from the cross, that we may see and believe." 



720 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

The soldiers catch the feeling of the mob, and run to 
offer Him vinegar, saying, — half in derision of the Jews 
themselves, — "If Thou be the King of the Jews, save 
Thyself." 

More horrible still : the two malefactors who were 
crucified with Him, also reviled Him. This seems to 
us, at first thought, strange and monstrous, — almost in- 
credible. A moment's reflection, however, will convince 
us that it was in keeping with human nature. These 
men were robbers. It is a reasonable conjecture that 
they belonged to the class which afterwards became 
very numerous, called zealots, who committed the most 
aggravated crimes under the color of patriotism and re- 
ligion. They were not often brought to justice ; for they 
were popular rather than otherwise with the Jewish peo- 
ple ; and they found it easy, in most cases, to bribe the 
Eoman officials, by sharing with them the spoils of help- 
less travelers and defenceless villages. "When they were 
seized and thrown into prison, they probably did not ap- 
prehend any very severe punishment, still less the dread- 
ful death of the cross. When Barabbas was released 
they must have regarded it as a pledge of their own 
speedy liberation. What, then, must have been their 
despair and fury, when they were suddenly dragged forth 
to be crucified with Jesus the Nazarene, as if they iad 
belonged to His party ! But for Him, they think, they 
would have escaped. And it is probable that Pilate would 
not have ordered their crucifixion, had he not been en- 
raged by his humiliating failure to save the life of Jesus. 
Under these circumstances, it was but natural that these 
miserable men, terrified and distracted, should have turned 
with fury upon Jesus Himself, as the cause of the tor- 
ments which they suffered. They were not, however, 
both equally hardened. Both indeed, at first, "reviled" 
Him ; but only one of them " railed on Him" or, as it is 



THE CRUCIFIXION. 721 

f 

in the Greek, "blasphemed Hiin."* We infer from this, 
that after the tannts which they had both cast in His 
teeth, one of them became silent, while the other grew 
more outrageous and malignant. The latter, not taught 
and softened by suffering, but infuriated and hardened, 
railed on with growing bitterness and hate ; but the 
former, touched by the majestic patience and forgiving 
love of Jesus, and awed by the near approach of death, 
soon began to manifest a wonderful but by no means in- 
credible change of feeling. The blasphemies of his fel- 
low in crime and punishment, at length, strike him as 
shocking, unjust and cruel. Looking over the multitude, 
surging and foaming like an angry sea round the cross, 
dashing the foul, hellish spray of their reproaches and 
mockeries over the meek and silent Sufferer at his side, 
the now broken-hearted robber glances at his former com- 
panion, saying, "Neither dost thou fear God, seeing thou 
art in the same condemnation ? t And we indeed justly ; 
for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this 
Man hath done nothing amiss." 

He speaks like one who had known something of Jesus 
before. He had probably mingled freely with the people, 
and it is not unlikely that he had heard many reports of 
our Lord's teachings and miracles ; nay, it is possible that 
he had himself seen Him, and knew well that He called 
Himself and was called by His disciples, the Christ, the 
Son of the living God. At this moment, all that he had 
ever known of Jesus is brought to his remembrance ; and 
His godlike patience and meekness convince him that 
He is indeed the Divine King of Israel. He asserts His 
sinlessness, and confesses his own exceeding guilt, nay, 



* Compare Mark xv. 32 and Luke xxiii. 39. 

t Trench has hit the exact sense of this passage : " Studies in the Gospels," 
page 291. 

46 



722 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

• 

more • he turns his eyes to Jesus, and prays, " Lord, re- 
member me when Thou comest in Thy kingdom ! " "I 
believe, Thou meek Nazarene, though Thou art rejected, 
insulted, tortured by Jew and Gentile, that Thou art the 
Christ of God, and that Thou wilt hereafter reign in glory. 
In the day of Thy certain triumph, wilt Thou, Lord, 
remember the poor, guilty, dying robber?" Jesus, who 
had not spoken a word in answer to the taunts of His 
enemies, now opens His ever gracious lips : " Verily, I 
say unto thee, to-day shalt thou be with Me in Paradise." 
" Eemember thee, poor penitent ? Yes ; thy sins are al- 
ready pardoned ; and ere yonder sun shall set, thou shalt 
be with Me, far from this scene of suffering, among patri- 
archs and prophets, saints and martyrs, in their place of 
serene and holy repose." The agonies of the cross are 
no longer unendurable ; he is assured of rest so soon ! 
The brutality of Pilate is a precious boon to the dying 
malefactor ; he has lost his life — and found it. 

Some of the disciples who had stood afar off, had by 
this time gathered close to the cross. Among them were 
the Marys, John the beloved, and the mother of the Lord. 
Yes, she also, her soul at length transfixed with the 
sword, the blessed Mary, is standing near the cross. She 
can not wipe the blood and sweat from His pale face \ 
she can not even embrace His nailed feet. She can but 
gaze on her dying Son in speechless sorrow. His eyes 
are upon her; He glances from her to John, saying, 
" Woman, behold thy Son ! " With unutterable meaning 
in His eyes, He says to the disciple who a few hours ago 
lay in His bosom, "Behold thy mother!" It was scarcely 
necessary for John to tell us, that from that hour he took 
her unto his own home. 

Jesus is now silent. His enemies seem to have grown 
weary, and their fiendish yells no longer rend the air. A 
silent, infinite dread is falling on the multitude. Though 



THE CRUCIFIXION. 723 

it is about noon, a strange darkness, every moment grow- 
ing deeper and thicker, is creeping through the sky and 
enshrouding the earth. It is not like night; it is not a total 
eclipse of the sun; it is^a preternatural gloom, — a black, 
ghastly shadow, whence no man knows, overspreading the 
land. During three long hours, the darkness veils from 
human gaze the mortal agonies of the Lamb of God. 

But He is suspended there to suffer that awful thing, 
so foreign to His nature, so loathsome, so terrible till He, 
by suffering, abolished it, — Death. It was a battle, not 
so much with the physical pain of dying, as with him that 
had the power of death ; that is, the devil. The powers 
of darkness were let loose upon His soul. As His life 
ebbed away, as the deadly pain and weakness crept nearer 
the seat of vitality, as His human consciousness began to 
be clouded and shaken, especially, as His infinite sympa- 
thy with mankind embraced and appropriated their whole 
guilt and condemnation, we may reverently suggest that 
Satan attempted to inject a doubt of His Divine Sonship, 
of His Father's love. At the shock of this great tempta- 
tion in the moment when the unutterable pang of disso- 
lution came upon Him, He roused Himself to assert with 
transcendent energy, that even in dying His relations 
with the Father continued unchanged. He cried with a 
loud voice : " Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani ! " — " My God, My 
God, why hast Thou forsaken Me!" — Forsaken He was; 
that is, given over to the suffering of death ; but He knew 
that God was His God, and could never absolutely forsake 
Him. Some of the by-standers, not understanding the 
dialect in, which He spoke, thought He called for Elijah, 
whose coming was vaguely expected at that time ; and 
they seem to have really thought it possible that the 
translated prophet might appear then and there. Again 
Jesus cried, " I thirst !" One filled a sponge with vinegar, 
put it on a reed, and held it to His lips, saying : " Let 



724 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

alone ; let us see whether Elias will come to take Him 
down." It was probably about this time that the darkness 
broke away. Jesus cried again with a loud voice, " It is 
finished ; Father, into Thy hands I commend My Spirit ! " 
Then, bowing His head, He gave up the ghost. 

Jf- Jf. Jfci J£- M. Jfj, 

^f W "7V" *5? 'T? rfc 

At the moment of our Lord's death, there was a great 
earthquake. The rocks were rent. The veil of the most 
holy place was rent from the top to the bottom. So 
grand and fearful were the phenomena which accompa- 
nied the death of Jesus, that the centurion who had super- 
intended the crucifixion, exclaimed : " Certainly this was 
a righteous man ! This was truly the Son of God." There 
was terror, lamentation and wailing among the multitude. 
Smiting upon their breasts, they hastened to their own 
homes. His Galilean followers and friends, however, in- 
cluding the noble women who had ministered to Him, 
stood, as if chained to the place, not near the cross, but 
where they could plainly see all that transpired. They 
had not been able to minister to Him in the mortal agony ; 
and now they longed in vain to wash, anoint and enshroud 
the holy body, hanging lifeless on the cross. They could 
not even approach and kiss the cold feet nailed to the 
cruel wood, for the grim Koman soldiers kept guard 
around it. 

The disciple whom Jesus loved, having probably taken 
the sorrowing mother to his own lodgings in the city, was 
there standing nearer the cross. He had gazed on his 
adored Master till the bosom on which he had so often 
leaned ceased to heave, till the eyes that had so often 
beamed love and peace upon him became fixed and ray- 
less. And still he kept sad vigil on Golgotha, as hour 
after hour wore away; and he doubtless longed to take 
down the blessed corpse for sepulture ; but he had no 
order from the governor, and no influence to obtain one ; 



THE CKUCIFIXIOST. 725 

so he could only watch to see where they would lay Him. 
As the evening draws near he sees a company of soldiers 
approach the place ; and he knows by their clubs that 
they have come to extinguish any faint remains of 
life in the three crucified men, by breaking their legs. 
They do break the legs of the two malefactors ; but when 
they come to the body of Jesus they find Him already 
quite dead ; still, to make sure, and that we might believe, 
one of them pierces His side with a spear, and forthwith 
there gushes forth a stream of blood and water. He is 
indeed dead. Be comforted, ye mourners! The cruel 
clubs shall not break a bone of that sacred body : no 
further insult or harm shall come to it, henceforth, for- 
ever. It is the temple of God, and shall speedily be raised 
in glory. Meanwhile, it shall tenderly be taken down 
from the cross ; it shall have a precious burial. 

Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man and a counselor, had 
long been a disciple of Jesus, though secretly, for fear of 
the Jews. During the last few hours, however, his timid- 
ity had all disappeared. As a member of the Sanhedrim, 
he had not consented to the sentence of his colleagues ; 
and now that the holy Sufferer was dead he was not 
ashamed to testify his faith and love. He went boldly 
to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus. Having ascer- 
tained that Jesus was already dead, Pilate gave the de- 
sired order. The Jews would gladly have seen Him 
buried with the malefactors in some obscure and ac- 
cursed cemetery; but their malice was thwarted; "He 
shall make His grave with the rich in His death." Be- 
hold Joseph, hastening to Golgotha. Reverently, mourn- 
fully, the nails are drawn, and the body is taken clown from 
the cross. As they are preparing it for burial they are 
joined by Nicodemus, bringing a hundred pounds of pre- 
cious spices, to cover the holy corpse. They wrap it in 
linen clean and white, and then bear it to Joseph's garden 



726 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

which is just at hand. There he had hewn for himself a 
stately tomb out of the living rock. In that tomb, the 
body of the Lord is carefully laid. They roll a great 
stone to the door of the sepulchre ; and the burial is 
ended. The women of Galilee, including Mary Magda- 
lene, and the other Mary, have followed that they may 
see where their Master is buried. Weeping there awhile, 
they are admonished by the setting sun that the Sabbath 
is commencing, and they depart to their lodgings. 

Let us draw near to this silent, deserted sepulchre. 
What a sleeper lies within ! Thank God, He sleeps now, 
full of rest. After the toils, humiliations, and sufferings 
of thirty-three years — after the cup of death in Geth- 
semane — after the false trial, the jeers, the buffets, the 
unutterable insults of the council-chamber — after the 
mock coronation, the gorgeous robe, the scourging, the 
cross-bearing, the sharp and unknown agonies of crucifix- 
ion, after the great pang of dying — all that was mortal of 
Jesus sleeps lnt holt peace. The baptism of blood is 
accomplished. The sacrifice is finished. The ransom is 
paid. The sin of the world is taken away. Hence, all 
ye profane and unbelieving ! This is no place for cavilers, 
or even doubters ; but draw near, all ye whose hearts 
are burdened with guilt, and wrung with penitence : as- 
sure yourselves here of a finished atonement. 

All is finished! His mangled body, lying here em- 
balmed in spices, is secure against corruption. His soul is 
in hades, doing for His church, perhaps, some mighty and 
glorious work — what, it belongs to the theologian rather 
than to this history to set forth.* 

* See Acts ii. 26-28. I. Peter iii. 18, 19. 






PART X 



Our Risen Lord. 



CHAPTER I. 

THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 

THE REALITY OF CHRIST'S DEATH — JESUS IN THE SEPULCHRE — IN HADES — 
THE RESURRECTION — THE WOMEN AT THE SEPULCHRE — MARY MAG- 
DALENE — THE WALK TO EMMAUS — JESUS APPEARS AND VANISHES — 
APPEARS TO PETER — TO THE ELEVEN. 

Matthew xxvn. 62-66; xxvm. 1-15. Mark xvi. 1-18. Luke xxiv. 1-49. John xx. 1-25. 
I. Corinthians xv. 5. 

The Jews had somehow come to the knowledge of our 
Lord's promise, that He would rise from the dead the third 
day ; and they seem to have had a glimmering perception 
of the meaning of His words, " Destroy this temple, and 
in three days I will raise it up." Knowing that if the 
body were missing the belief would prevail that Jesus 
was really risen, they felt the importance of keeping 
watch over the sepulchre till the expiration of the third 
day. They therefore applied to Pilate for a watch, and he 
readily but rather contemptuously granted their request. 
Having placed the sentinels at the door of the sepulchre, 
they carefully sealed the stone. All this was done by 
these men who had persecuted Jesus for Sabbath-break- 
ing, on the great Passover Sabbath. 

The day, — saddest since time began, — drags wearily 
on. The soldiers watch around the sepulchre, but there 
is neither voice nor sound from within. The holy body 
sleeps in silence and darkness. It is still the temple of 
the Holy Ghost. The forces of corruption have no power 



730 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 






over it. If any change is going on, it is a supernatural 
one to prepare it for the new life which it is about to re- 
ceive. Such a change probably commenced at the mo- 
ment of death ; for the gushing forth of blood and water 
from His pierced side was a proof, not only that He was 
really dead, but that His dead body was miraculously 
preserved from the beginnings of corruption. There was 
no decomposition even of the fluids which had belonged 
to His living organism. We can not doubt that the mi- 
raculous energy which prevented decomposition wrought 
a secret alteration in the corporeal frame which fitted it 
for the higher life of the resurrection.* 

We must observe in passing, that the stream of blood 
and water was doubtless symbolical also. In the pouring 
forth of His precious blood was signified the utter oblation 
of the former natural life • u for the life is in the blood," f 
and the effusion of water signified the purifying efficacy 
of that oblation. The water and the blood still testify 



* The interesting and important questions connected with the stream of 
blood and water which followed the spear-thrust, are foreign to the design of 
this book. The view suggested in the text is eclectic, combining the opinion 
of those who hold that the spear penetrated the pericardium, if not the heart 
itself, and that of others who, asserting that blood will not flow from a body 
that is really dead, regard the phenomenon as wholly miraculous. It has not, 
to my knowledge, been suggested as possible that all the fluids of the Lord's 
body were poured out through the wound in His side. Blood did not enter 
into the constitution of the resurrection body. The old life— which was in 
the blood — was wholly offered up on the cross. I assert nothing ; but sug- 
gest the question as legitimate and important. 

"When I say that the Lord's body was miraculously preserved from corrup- 
tion, I would be understood to protest, most solemnly against the docetic 
notion, recently revived, that His body was, in its own nature immortal, and 
that His death resulted from a supernatural energy of volition. This under- 
mines the whole doctrine of the Incarnation. If Jesus did not take a mortal 
and corruptible body, He did not truly assume our nature, and had no fra- 
ternal sympathy with us. Has the age of gnosticism returned ? 

t Leviticus xvii. 11. 



THE KESURKECTTON. 731 

on earth, in the blessed sacraments, to the reality of our 
Lord's incarnation, and the redeeming might of His rec- 
onciliation-death* 

Thus, then, the body of Jesus reposes in the sepulchre. 
Meanwhile His spirit in hades is quickened with the new, 
imperishable life, which, on its return, is to animate, trans- 
form and glorify the material frame.f 

The disciples are weeping; the women are preparing 
precious ointment and spices for the more solemn anoint- 
ing of the blessed body; the Sabbath sun goes down; 
the sentinels, hour after hour, still pace slowly round the 
sepulchre. Midnight comes and goes; the great city is 
asleep. Under the solemn, vaulted firmament the whole 
earth seems one still and holy sepulchre for the Lord of 
glory. Suddenly the earth heaves and rocks; swift as 
a shooting star a glorious angelic form descends from 
heaven, rolls away the stone and sits upon it. " His 
countenance is like lightning, and his raiment w r hite as 
snow." The sentinels quake with terror, and fall to the 
earth as dead men. 

God's mightiest works are wrought in secret. The 
resurrection of the Lord was not witnessed by mortal 
eyes. Had the story been a cunningly devised fable, 
all the details of the pretended miracle would have been 
recorded. But this was an event which the most ad- 
vanced and enlightened disciples could not have wit- 
nessed, without danger to their reason, perhaps to life 
itself. For the resurrection of Jesus was not like that 
of Lazarus, a return to the natural, earthly life ; but a 
change from mortal to immortality. While our Lord's 
body was really raised from the tomb, it is evident that 
its constitution was mysteriously changed. It became 
spiritual, life-full, incorruptible, glorious, heavenly. He 

*I. Johnv. 6,8. fl. Peter iii. 18. 



732 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

entered on a new mode of existence, above the condi- 
tions of earthly life. Henceforth, He appears and disap- 
pears at will, and goes from place to place by some 
mode of locomotion unknown to us. It is even doubt- 
ful whether the term locomotion is applicable to His acts 
and appearances in the resurrection-state. If, in the 
progress of science, the relations of spirit to matter, and 
the ultimate nature or essence of both should be ascer- 
tained, much of the mystery which now envelops the 
subject will be dispelled. Meanwhile it is matter of sim- 
ple faith that our Lord, in rising from the dead, was glo- 
rified by the transforming — perhaps I should say trans- 
muting — energy of the new life which had taken posses- 
sion of His humanity. Henceforth, He is the Kisen Man, 
the Living One, the Conqueeee of Death and Hades, 

the IMMOETAL AND LIFE-GIVING SECOND ADAM, THE LoED 

feom Heaven. 

The incidents which took place on this memorable day, 
may be gathered up from the four evangelists and woven 
into a consistent narrative, as follows : — In the early morn- 
ing of the first day of the week, while it was yet dark, 
Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Salome, Jo- 
anna, and other women, went to the sepulchre with the 
spices which they had prepared. On their way it occurred 
to them that there was none to roll away the great stone 
from the door of the sepulchre ; but, impelled by love and 
sorrow, they hastened onward. When they reached the 
place the east was all aglow with "the awful rose of 
dawn;" but they had no eyes for the auroral splendor. 
Their hearts were in the sepulchre of the Lord, and 
thither they turned their gaze. What was their conster- 
nation to find the stone rolled away ! There was one in 
that company who loved much, for she had been forgiven 
much. This was Mary Magdalene, who, if she was not 
that " woman of the city " who washed the feet of Jesus 



THE RESURRECTION. 733 

with her tears and wiped them with her hair, had been 
rescued by Him from a fearful bondage to the powers of 
darkness; for out of her He had cast seven demons. 
When she saw that the stone was rolled away, her heart 
sank within her; she felt that the beloved body was 
gone — stolen, she feared, by the enemies of her Lord. 
Not pausing to examine the sepulchre, she ran to Peter 
and John in the city, who seem to have occupied the 
same lodgings, and said to them, " They have taken away 
the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where 
they have laid Him." The apostles, thunder-struck, at 
once ran towards the sepulchre. 

Meanwhile the other women entered the sepulchre, 
where they saw two angels in human form, clad in white 
and glistering garments. Amazed and terrified, they 
bowed themselves to the earth ; but they were reassured 
by the words, " Fear not ye ; for I know that ye seek 
Jesus who was crucified. He is not here : for He is risen, 
as He said. Come see the place where the Lord lay. 
And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen 
from the dead, and behold, He goeth before you into 
Galilee; there shall ye see Him: lo, I have told you/' 
Instantly leaving the sepulchre, agitated with fear rather 
than with hope, they hastened with their message to the 
disciples. While they were on their way, Jesus Himself 
met them, saying, "All hail!" These were His first 
words after His resurrection — words of love and victo- 
rious joy. They reverently approached Him ; they held 
Him by the feet; they worshiped Him. "Then said 
Jesus unto them, Be not afraid ; go tell My brethren, that 
they go into Galilee, and there shall they see Me." The 
message was faithfully communicated to the disciples ; but 
they had not faith to act upon it. The words of the wo- 
men seemed to them like idle tales. 

Scarcely had the women departed from the sepulchre, 






734 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 



when John, breathless and wondering, reached the spot. 
He has a secret hope which he hardly acknowledges 
to himself. "Withheld by reverence, he does not at once 
enter the sepnlchre ; but stooping down and looking in, 
sees the linen grave-clothes lying, but that is all. At 
this moment Peter arrives, and without hesitation goes 
into the sepulchre, and John follows him. The sepulchre 
is indeed empty. The linen clothes are lying in one 
place, and the napkin which was about His head, carefully 
folded, is lying in another. John sees in this a proof 
that the body had not been hastily removed, but that 
Jesus Himself had deliberately, in a manner characteristic, 
disrobed Himself of the grave-clothes, folded them up 
and laid them aside. The two apostles, after a moment's 
stay, afraid, perhaps, that the Jews would find them 
there, and accuse them of stealing the body, return to 
the city, filled with unutterable emotions. 

Mary Magdalene, who has again reached the place, 
can not so readily tear herself away. She " stood with- 
out, at the sepulchre, weeping." Love is very bold. 
Stooping down and looking into the sepulchre, she is 
scarcely surprised, much less terrified, at sight of the two 
angelic forms, sitting the one at the head, the other at 
the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. " Woman," 
they say, " why weepest thou ? " " Because they have 
taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have 
laid Him." While thus gazing into the sepulchre, she is 
conscious that some person is standing near; she turns 
herself; she sees a stranger ; but she can not through 
the veil of her tears, discern in that stranger her adored 
Lord ; and besides, her passionate seeking for the dead 
prevents her recognizing the Living. "Woman," says 
Jesus, "why weepest thou? whom seekest thou?" She 
does not even know the voice ; but hastily inferring that 
He is the gardener, and catching eagerly at every shadow 






THE RESURRECTION. 735 

of hope, she replies, " Sir, if thou have borne Him hence, 
tell me where thou hast laid Him, and I will take Him 
away." She will take Him away. Such is the conscious 
might of her love. "Mary!" says a voice, familiar as 
it is dear, — a voice which once penetrated the depths of 
her disordered consciousness, and has often since sum- 
moned her to receive instruction and comfort, — a voice 
which now thrills her soul with the assurance of His resur- 
rection and personal presence. Turning herself quickly, 
she pours forth her love, her faith, her joy, in a single 
rapturous exclamation: "Kabbosti!" She struggles to 
embrace His feet; she would renew the former inter- 
course ; she clings to the humanity of His humiliation ; 
she forgets, for the moment, that He is risen, or believes 
that He has returned, like Lazarus, to His natural life ; 
but she must learn that He is no longer mortal; that 
He has entered on a higher mode of existence ; that her 
communion with Him must henceforth be of a different 
nature. Therefore He shrinks away from contact with 
her, saying, * Touch Me not \ for I am not yet ascended 
to My Father ; but go to My brethren, and say unto them, 
I ascend unto My Father, and your Father, and to My 
God, and your God." This implies that after His ascen- 
sion. His people should enjoy some sort of contact with 
Him ; that He would be present with them more really 
and in a higher sense than during the period of His 
humiliation. Blessed are those who have learned what 
this meaneth ! 

Happy Mary, hasten with thy tidings to the disciples ! 
What if they believe not ? Not many hours shall elapse 
ere their unbelief, rooted after all in love that longs to 
believe, shall be changed to full assurance. 

It was probably about this time that the enemies of 
our Lord received the first intimations of His resurrection, 
from the soldiers who had guarded the sepulchre. The 



736 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

large bribe by which they suborned them to declare that 
the disciples stole the body while they were sleeping at 
their post, was in keeping with their whole course of pro- 
cedure from the time they bargained with Judas to betray 
his Master for thirty pieces of silver. 

The interview between the Lord and two other disciples, 
briefly alluded to by Mark, is circumstantially and most 
touchingly narrated by Luke. One of these disciples is 
nameless/* but the other was Cleopas, or Cleopatros, who 
must not be confounded with the Clopas, or Alpheus, 
mentioned in John xix. 25. The names are quite differ- 
ent, the former being Greek, the latter Aramean. It is 
assumed by Lange that these disciples were of Gentile 
extraction.! Early in the afternoon they left Jerusalem 
for Emmaus, a village the site of which can not now be 
identified, some eight miles west or north-west from the 
city. The motive of this journey is not apparent. They 
had already heard the report of the women that the Lord 
was risen, and it seems unaccountable, notwithstanding 
their incredulity, that they did not remain to verify that 
report. We cannot but conjecture that, overwhelmed as 
they were with perplexity and sorrow, they withdrew from 
the crowded city, throbbing with excitement, to the still- 
ness and seclusion of the country, for the purpose of calm 
deliberation touching their future course of action. It 
is evident that they regarded the career of Jesus as ended. 
They believed that He was dead; and their hopes touch- 
ing the speedy manifestation of the kingdom of God were 
buried in His sepulchre. Perhaps in their despondency 
they even meditated detaching themselves from the disci- 
ples, and returning to their own homes. If so, the Good 
Shepherd, whose eyes were upon them though they saw 

* Early tradition fixed on Luke himself as the one intended. I wish there 
were evidence of the fact, 
f Life of Christ, pp. 70, 71. 



THE RESURRECTION. 737 

Him not, overtook them soon after their departure from 
the fold. 

For as they communed together by the way, and rea- 
soned, not it seems entirely agreed in their views, a Trav- 
eler whom they knew not, quite naturally joined them 
and walked in their company. Notwithstanding His 
altered form they would have recognized Him as the cru- 
cified One, had not their eyes been "holden." Perhaps 
they were not well pleased at this interruption of their 
confidential conference ; but the Stranger addressed them 
in a kind and sympathizing tone, and they could not find 
it in their hearts to repel Him: "What manner of com- 
munications are these that ye have one to another, as ye 
walk, and are sad?" The words indicate, more clearly in 
the Greek than in the English, the dreary dejection ex- 
pressed in their downcast faces* Their reply intimates 
the slightest possible irritation as well as surprise: "Art 
Thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known 
the things which are come to pass here in these days?" 
"What things?" asks the unknown Traveler. Their re- 
serve melts away; they answer frankly enough: "Con- 
cerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet, mighty in 
deed and word before God, and all the people; and how 
the chief priests ,and our rulers delivered Him to be 
condemned to death, and have crucified Him. But we 
trusted that it had been He which should have redeemed 
Israel; and besides all this, to-day is the third day since 
these things were done. Yea, and certain women also 
of our company made us astonished, which were early at 
the sepulchre. And when they found not His body, they 
came, saying that they had seen a vision of angels which 
said that He was alive. And certain of them that were 
with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even as the 



*See Trench, Studies in the Gospels, page 315, note. 
47 



738 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

women had said ; but Him they saw not." These words 
laid open their inmost hearts. Their ignorance of Christ 
as the God-man, their faith in Him as a mighty Prophet, 
their hope that He would prove to be the Messiah, their 
bitter disappointment when He was crucified, their love, 
stronger than death, yearning for some sufficient proof of 
His resurrection — all was artlessly disclosed. And this 
was what the Lord had sought to draw forth by His 
question. Strange that they did not begin to surmise 
who He was when He reproved them for their stolid un- 
belief: "0 fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the 
prophets have spoken ! Ought not Christ to have suf- 
fered these things and to enter into His glory?" It was 
the sufferings of Christ that had staggered their faith. It 
was necessary for them to understand that those sufferings 
entered into the divine scheme of redemption from the 
beginning. Therefore He explained to them the prophe- 
cies touching Himself, from Moses down. Surely, if Luke 
had heard that wondrous discourse of the risen Lord, he 
would have preserved some record of it. It is impossible 
to doubt that the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah was the 
central prophecy among those which Jesus expounded. 
Ere they reached Emmaus, the two disciples had been 
thoroughly instructed in respect to the necessity of Christ's 
atoning death as prerequisite to the glory that followed ; 
they felt themselves marvellously warmed and enlightr 
ened by the words of the wonderful Stranger ; and they 
were unwilling to part company with Him. So when 
they reached the village, they said: "Abide with us; for 
it is toward evening, and the day is far spent." To test 
their faith and love, " He made as though He would have 
gone further," which He certainly would have done, had 
they not stood the test. When they sat down to meat, 
they gave Him the place of honor ; and it was, therefore, 
His office to bless and break the bread. Something pe- 



THE RESURRECTION. 739 

cullar and characteristic in His action, — and possibly the 
scars in His hands, — revealed Him to their now opened 
eyes. But at the moment of the revelation, He vanished 
out of their sight. They now wondered that they had not 
recognized Him before : for they " said one to another, Did 
not our heart burn within us while He talked with us by 
the way, and while He opened to us the Scriptures?" 
They have now no further business at Emmaus. No 
longer dejected and doubting, they traversed, as with 
winged feet, the eight miles between them and Jerusa- 
lem. They found the apostles gathered together, and 
they were greeted with the joyful tidings, H The Lord is 
risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon." Then they 
told their own wondrous story, about the things that were 
done in the way, and how He was made known to them 
in the breaking of bread. 

It is remarkable that while the apostles believed Peter, 
they refused to credit the two disciples. How shall this 
be explained ? Probably He appeared to Peter almost 
immediately after He vanished from the view of the two 
at Emmaus. That He thus passed from place to place at 
will, after His resurrection, is certain ; but the apostles 
had not yet learned that He was liberated from the con- 
ditions of His former life in the flesh. Hence they re- 
garded the story of the two disciples as opposed to the 
testimony of Peter. "While they were thus, in a thor- 
oughly rationalistic spirit, discussing this conflict of testi- 
mony, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them. No 
door had opened ; no sound had been heard • no one had 
seen His coming. They were struck with superstitious 
dread. This mysterious appearance, combined with what 
they had just heard from Peter and the two disciples, 
seemed to them a certain proof that He was not a risen 
man, but a disembodied spirit. They had no conception 
of a resurrection which was not like that of Lazarus, (who 



740 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 






perhaps was among them at that moment,) in his natural 
body. While, therefore, they recognized the form before 
them as that of Jesus, they hastily though quite naturally 
thought it was a spectre. Their terror was not dispelled 
when He said, "Peace be unto you!" and it probably 
reached its height when He began to " upbraid them with 
their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed 
not them who had seen Him after He was risen." It was 
necessary that their fear — a kind of fear always deadly to 
true faith — should be removed. He therefore proceeded 
to convince them that He was truly the crucified One 
risen from the dead, and not a ghost from hades : " Why 
are ye troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts ? 
Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I, Myself: 
handle Me and see ; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, 
as ye see Me have." Then He showed them His hands, 
His feet, and His side. (John xx. 20.) The disciples 
were glad when they thus saw the Lord ; but they scarcely 
believed for joy. That all doubt might be extinguished. 
He called for food and ate in their presence a piece of a 
broiled fish and of a honey-comb. Thus He demonstrated 
to them, that whatever mysterious change had passed 
upon Him, He was still in connection with the natural 
world, and held full mastery over its elements. He did 
not intend to teach them that His life would continue to 
be sustained by natural food, but rather to prove to their 
senses the reality of His resurrection. 

Having thus calmed their agitation, He reminded them 
that all which had perplexed them was in fulfillment of 
His own words while He was yet with them, as well as 
of the more ancient prophecies. " Then opened He their 
understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures, 
and said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it be- 
hooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third 
day; and that repentance, and remission of sins should be 



THE RESURRECTION. 741 

preached in His name among all nations, beginning at 
Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And 
behold I send the promise of My Father upon you ; but 
tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued 
with power from on high." The evangelists have re- 
corded this commission with variations, resulting in part 
from the peculiar genius and design of each; but it is 
evident that many things were said by the Lord which 
are not recorded. John was impelled to select the more 
spiritual sayings. " Then said Jesus to them again, Peace 
be unto you : as My Father hath sent Me, even so send I 
you. And when He had said this, He breathed on them, 
and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose- 
soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them ; and 
whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained." The 
breathing was a symbol and a pledge that from Him the 
Holy Ghost should come upon them all ; and that when 
thus endued with His spirit, they should have power to 
convey to the hearts and consciences of penitent sinners, 
that forgiveness which He had so dearly purchased for 
them. The church should be the channel through which 
" remission of sins," as Luke has it, should be authorita- 
tively and effectually declared to the broken-hearted and 
believing. There were sins, however, those unto death, 
which the church should not be able to remit. It does 
not appear that our Lord has in these words empowered 
His church to remit the punishment of sin, either in this 
world, or in the world to come. 

The evangelist Mark has given still another phase of 
this commission : — " Go ye into all the world, and preach 
the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is 
baptized shall be saved ; but he that believeth not shall be 
damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe: 
In my name shall they cast out devils ; they shall speak 
with new tongues ; they shall take up serpents ; and if 



742 THE LIFE OF CHEIST. 

they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them ; they 
shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall -recover." Thus 
the Spirit of the risen Lord is to work through the church, 
doing those works of grace and power, through His people, 
which He once wrought through His natural body. Has 
the church utterly ceased to fulfill its functions as the 
Body of Christ ? " 

At this meeting, Thomas surnamed the Twin was not 
present. The cause of his absence is not intimated ; but 
we conjecture that he was just then in no mood to asso- 
ciate with his fellow-disciples. He was evidently of a 
melancholy, despondent temper; and the fearful scenes 
of Passion Week had probably plunged him into the 
deepest mental distress. He was brave, loving, and con- 
stant, but lacking in hope and faith. Indeed, He is well 
called the skeptical apostle. When the other disciples 
said to him, " We have seen the Lord," he replied, " Ex- 
cept I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and 
put my finger in the print of the nails, and thrust my 
hand into His side, I will not believe." Have we, then, 
a Hume, or a Renan among the apostles ? Though ten 
of his colleagues testified that they had seen their Master 
alive, he would not believe. He would not be convinced 
by any evidence short of sensation : nay, he would not 
receive the testimony of a single sense ; he must not 
only see but handle ; he must put his finger into the print 
of the nails, and thrust his hand into His side. There 
is something wonderfully modern in this. A Yoltaire, or 
a Strauss, could not have demanded more overpowering 
evidence. Even previous to the death of Christ, the ten- 
dency of Thomas to call in question everything spiritual 
and mysterious had been clearly disclosed. When Jesus 
said that He was going to His Father, and by a way which 
they all knew, Thomas broke in with an objection : "Lord, 
we know not whither Thou goest, and how can we know 



THE RESURRECTION. 743 

the way?" That is, we do not see heaven, or the God of 
heaven ; how then can we know the way to heaven and 
to God ? He required some sense-perception of the spir- 
itual world, some Jacob's ladder, though not in a dream, 
which would show him the end of his journey at the time 
he set out. He was no credulous enthusiast, no dreaming 
mystic, no hunter after marvels, but one who would be 
called in our generation a man of solid sense, resolutely 
rejecting everything strange and novel, and standing on 
the firm granite of experience. Hence, when he heard 
the news of the Lord's resurrection, he suspended his 
judgment, and refused to believe till he saw with his own 
eyes, and handled the Word of Life with his own hands. 
It is probable that, but for the unbelief and despondency 
of Thomas, the disciples would have at once set out for 
Galilee, as their Lord had commanded them; but He 
would not lose one whom the Father had given Him, and 
they, therefore, doubtless in accordance with an intimation 
from Him, remained in Jerusalem another week. 

On the evening of the next Lord's Day, the disciples 
are again assembled in their usual place. The doors are 
shut. They doubtless, at this meeting, expect His appear- 
ing ; nor are they disappointed. Suddenly, Jesus is seen 
standing in the midst of the little assembly. He salutes 
them as before, saying, " Peace be unto you ! " We im- 
agine that, from the first, His eyes were fixed in pitying 
love on Thomas ! a Reach hither thy finger, and behold 
My hands ; and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into 
My side, and be not faithless, but believing." What a 
moment for Thomas ! Will he accept the challenge ? Will 
he critically examine the scars of his Lord, whom he 
loves, after all, with all the strength and fervor of a 
great heroic soul ! He responds to the challenge in 
words of adoration : " My Lord, and My God ! " Those 
who regard this as an exclamation of idle wonder, or at 



744 THE LIFE OF CHKIST. 

best, of sudden joy, are incapable of entering into the 
deeper facts of our Lord's history. No; Thomas meant 
what he said. From that moment his faith in his Divine 
Lord never wavered. Yet even Thomas would have been 
more blessed had he believed without seeing. "Jesus 
saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou 
hast believed : blessed are they that have not seen, and 
yet have believed." His lack of confidence in the testi- 
mony of his fellow-disciples was unreasonable ; in some 
degree it was criminal ; at any rate, it robbed him of the 
peace and joy with which the resurrection of the Lord 
would otherwise have filled his soul. 

The church to-day testifies that she saw the Lord after 
His resurrection and heard His voice ; nay, that she sees 
Him still, especially in the breaking of bread, and that 
He is with her always, her Lord and her God. Blessed 
are they that have not seen, and yet have believed ! 



CHAPTER II. 

THE RISEN SAVIOUR IN GALILEE. 

JESUS SHOWS HIMSELF TO SEVEN DISCIPLES AT THE SEA OF TIBERIAS — 
HE APPEARS TO MORE THAN FIVE HUNDRED ON A MOUNTAIN IN 
GALILEE. 

John xxi. 1-24. Matthew xxviii. 16-20. I. Corinthians xv. 6. 

There were no more toilsome journeys for the Lord 
over the dusty plains and parched hills of Palestine. He 
last met the disciples in Jerusalem : they will next see 
Him in Galilee ; but He does not now, as formerly, walk 
with them through the vale of Sychar, and down the 
precipitous hills which mirror themselves in the blue 
waters of Gennesaret. Yet He will come to them on 
the shore of that fair lake, though not from Jerusalem, 
not by any earthly pathway. 

Jesus had commanded the disciples to go into Galilee ; 
and had doubtless appointed the time and the place of 
their convocation. It seems quite certain that all the 
pronounced disciples in Judea, Perea, and Galilee were 
summoned to the assembly ; and many, as we shall see, 
obeyed the summons. The time was favorable for their 
making the journey without attracting special notice, 
for many caravans of pilgrims were now returning from 
the Passover to their distant homes. The apostles were 
once more in their old homes, and among familiar scenes. 
Peter was apparently with his family at Capernaum, and 
several of the apostles were with him. These were Na- 



746 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

thanael Bartholomew, Thomas Didymus, the two sons 
of Zebedee, and two other disciples who are nameless. 
Peter, impatient of idleness, and not averse to his for- 
mer occupation, longing perhaps to be afloat once more 
on the fair Galilean lake, suddenly declared his purpose 
to improve what seemed a favorable night for fishing. 
His friends at once expressed their wish to join him. 
So they launched forth, probably in Peter's own boat. 
But the time was less propitious than they thought, for 
during the whole night they caught nothing. We can 
not help thinking, however, that they had sweet com- 
munion with one another, as they let down and drew up 
their empty nets. 

In the morning twilight One stood on the shore whom 
they knew not, and called to them, as if desiring to buy 
of them, "Children, have ye any meat?" The mode of 
address, being in the usual style of the country, caused 
them no surprise, and they simply answered, No. When 
He told them to cast the net on the right side of the boat, 
thinking perhaps that He had observed some indications 
in the agitated water of what fishermen call a shoal in 
that direction, they at once obeyed, and the net en- 
closed so many fish that they were unable to draw it up. 
John, reminded of the former miraculous draught, and 
glancing with his quick, penetrating eye at Him who 
stood on the shore, said to Peter, a It is the Lord ! " Peter, 
with a less fine and delicate perception, but with more de- 
cision and promptitude than the beloved disciple, instantly 
girt his outer garment around him, plunged into the sea, 
and swam ashore, a distance of a hundred yards. The 
other six disciples slowly drag the net to land, and unable 
even then to forego their usual habit of counting, found 
that they had taken one hundred and fifty-three fish of ex- 
traordinary size. They were the more inclined to count 
them, because they regarded the draught as miraculous. 



THE RISEN SAVIOUR IN GALILEE. 747 

They were doubtless surprised when they saw a fire of 
coals, with fish broiling upon it, and a supply of bread for 
the morning meal. Having added some of the fish which 
they had just taken, "Jesus said unto them, Come and 
dine." There was evidently something peculiar and un- 
earthly in the appearance of the Lord, such as to suggest 
though not to confirm the slightest shade or beginning 
of doubt touching His identity. "None of the disciples 
durst ask Him, Who art Thou ? knowing that it was the 
Lord." 

Having thus given proof of His sympathy with those 
wants and weaknesses of their mortal nature to which 
He was no longer subject, Jesus addressed Himself to 
Peter : " Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me more than 
these ? " He no longer calls him the man of rock ; he 
is no longer Peter since his three-fold denial of his Lord ; 
and though he has been forgiven, he is still virtually sus- 
pended from the apostolic office. To him this sudden 
question, whether he loved Jesus more than his fellow- 
disciples, is terrible. Besides, the love which Jesus in- 
quires after is not that warm, personal affection with 
which the heart of Peter is at this moment palpitating 
but if a higher, yet a calmer, more reasoning, less pas- 
sionate attachment. Peter is hurt bv what strikes him 
as the cold and cautious form of the question, as well as 
by its substance. He therefore not now comparing him- 
self with the other disciples, replies, u Yea, Lord ; Thou 
knowest that I love Thee." "Love— this high, calm love 
of moral esteem — is too cold to express what I feel ; my 
affection towards Thee is tender and ardent, like that of 
a bosom friend." Jesus answered, "Feed My lambs." 
Prove your attachment by deeds, especially by tenderly 
caring for the helpless and feeble of My flock. Jesus 
puts the same question, in the same form, a second time ; 
and Peter returns the same answer. Jesus in response 



748 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

says, "Feed My sheep." Thus He fully restores the 
repentant disciple to the apostleship. And now in ask- 
ing a third time, u Lovest thou Me ? " He takes up 
Peter's word, signifying personal and passionate attach- 
ment. Peter, however, is grieved at the repetition of a 
question which seems to intimate a doubt of his sin- 
cere affection; so he throws himself on the Lord's om- 
niscience, exclaiming, "Lord, Thou knowest all things; 
Thou knowest that I love Thee." Again, the command 
is, " Feed My sheep." 

Having thus renewed Peter's apostolic commission, our 
Lord gives him a prophetic insight into the future : 
"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, when thou wast young 
thou girdedst thyself and walkedst whither thou wouldest; 
but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy 
hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither 
thou wouldest not." Jesus had just seen Peter, in the 
full strength of manhood, gird his fisher's coat about him, 
and swim with muscular, outstretched arms to the shore. 
He tells him that he should live to old age, but then, in 
his weakness he would be compelled to stretch forth his 
hands on the cross, to which he should be bound and fas- 
tened by his enemies. He closes with the general com- 
mand, which they had so often heard, " Follow Me," and 
begins to withdraw. Peter, understanding Him literally, 
and supposing, perhaps, that Jesus had something to com- 
municate to him apart from the other disciples, follows 
Him. Turning about, he sees that John is also following. 
Not in a spirit of petulance, but of untimely curiosity, 
he says to Jesus, "Lord, and what shall this man do?" 
Jesus, in His former characteristic manner, replies, " If I 
will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee ? Fol- 
low thou Me." It is scarcely surprising that in John's 
extreme old age the affection of the disciples should have 
turned this saying into a positive declaration, that John 



THE RISEN SAVIOUR IN GALILEE. 749 

should never die, but should survive to be changed and 
translated at the coming of the Lord. 

Where the "great congregation" of the disciples was 
convened is unknown. It is almost certain that at this 
meeting the five hundred brethren mentioned by Paul, 
were assembled with the eleven apostles, who alone are 
mentioned by Matthew. The circumstances of this ap- 
pearing are not related; but it seems to have been in 
peculiar majesty. When the disciples saw Him, they 
prostrated themselves in adoration, though some — none 
of the apostles, surely — "doubted," not His resurrection, 
but the lawfulness of such adoration. He, however, ac- 
cepted their worship, and " spake unto them, saying, All 
power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye 
therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the 
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost ; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I 
have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, 
even unto the end of the world. Amen," 



CHAPTER III. 

THE ASCENSION. 

During the forty days subsequent to His resurrection, 
our Lord had no fixed abode on earth. He did not, as 
some have imagined, dwell in seclusion with His blessed 
mother; much less in some solitary place whence He 
went forth, at intervals, to show Himself to His disciples. 
Though His material body, far from being annihilated or 
given over to corruption, came forth from the tomb the 
same body, it was mysteriously changed and glorified. 
Matter, in His risen humanity, was transmuted into some- 
thing rich and rare : I had almost said that it passed, by 
a wondrous transubstantiation, into spirit. It became a 
" spiritual body." Instinct with immortal life and energy, 
it was no longer bound by the laws of natural corporeity. 
Jesus no longer belonged to the natural world, though the 
natural world still belonged to Him, and was more than 
ever subject to His royal" will. 

The theory has been broached, and has found some 
distinguished advocates, that the body of the Lord was 
gradually glorified during the great forty days. It is a 
theory beset with fatal difficulties ; and it derives no sup- 
port from the Scriptures. While it seems to account for 
the delay of the ascension, it attaches to that event an 
importance, as compared with the resurrection, which 
the evangelists do not ascribe to it. Indeed, Matthew 
and John do not even mention the ascension, evidently 
because they regard it as implied in His resurrection; 



THE ASCENSION. 751 

while Mark and Luke make it quite subordinate. The 
significance of the ascension depends entirely on our 
Lord's mode of existence after He rose from the dead. 
If He was glorified in His resurrection, then the ascen- 
sion becomes the last of His appearances to His disciples, 
and as such, memorable and glorious, but not a proof of 
any change in His humanity, or in His relations to the 
natural world on the one hand or to the spiritual on the 
other. If it be now asked, where did our Lord dwell 
during the great forty days, we ask in reply, where but 
in heaven itself — in the Father's house — the true home 
of His glorified humanity? From the morning of His 
resurrection, He was an inhabitant of the heavenly world. 
Except when He was with His disciples — nay, even then, 
— He was surrounded with celestial hosts who adored and 
served Him as their King and Lord. He vanished from 
the eyes of men into a world of ineffable light and beauty 
and blessedness. He was already crowned; He was al- 
ready, as He told the disciples on the Galilean mountain, 
invested with all power in heaven and in earth ; He was 
already sitting on the right hand of God. 

The inspired history records eleven distinct appearances 
of the Lord during the forty days ; but we infer from the 
words of Luke* that these were by no means all. It is 
probable that to one or more of the disciples He showed 
Himself almost daily. For these frequent manifestations 
there was urgent need. The disciples were as yet too 
infirm and timid to go alone. They could not even stand 
without His personal presence; for, though Jesus was 
glorified, the Holy Ghost was not yet given. They were 
not prepared for the Spirit-baptism ; they must be taught 
to seek for it in earnest prayer; their hearts must be 
uplifted to receive it. Thus the state of the disciples 



*Actsi. 3. 



752 THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 

serves to explain not only our Lord's frequent manifesta- 
tions to them after His resurrection, but also the delay 
of the promised effusion of the Holy Ghost. 

The period of delay, however, was now drawing to a close. 
The disciples were again assembled at Jerusalem, not now 
dispirited and perplexed, but full of hope and joy. They 
probably expected that Christ's visible reign would com- 
mence about the time of the descent of the Holy Spirit. 
When, therefore, they came together, — perhaps in their 
usual chamber in the city, — and Jesus Himself stood in 
the midst of them, "they asked of Him, saying, Lord, wilt 
Thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" 
He answered : u It is not for you to know the times or 
the seasons which the Father hath put in His own power. 
But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is 
come upon you ; and ye shall be witnesses unto Me, both 
in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto 
the uttermost part of the earth." 

Having thus again repeated the substance of the great 
commission, He led forth the disciples up the familiar road 
to the summit of Mount Olivet. Having passed the crest 
of the mountain to the eastern slope, over against Beth- 
any, He lifted up His hands to bless them, and in the act 
He ascended through the air till a cloud — probably the 
light-cloud of the transfiguration — received Him out of 
their sight. While they were gazing upward, two angels 
in human form, clad in white robes, stood by them, and 
said to them, and through them to us, " Ye men of Galilee, 
why stand ye gazing up in heaven ? This same Jesus, 
who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come, in 
like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven." 

In these last days, the voice of the ascended Lord is 
sounding full and clear in the ears of all who wake and 
watch : u Surely, I come quickly. Amen." 

Even so, come Lord Jesus ! Amen. 



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